Book 23 - Heaven And Hell
by GailDunn2
Summary: WARNING: Contains adult themes and situations. Lucifer is escalating, and bad things are coming. An old friend resurfaces. Will the God Squad be allowed to have their first Christmas together before the war begins?
1. Calling Out Occupants

Chapter 1 - Calling Out Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft

Gail's body fell to the floor as the blood poured out of her throat, and the battle was on.

The space on the airplane was limited, but everyone in their group was very experienced at dispatching Demons, and the shock of seeing him cut Gail like that had galvanized them.

Cas was enraged. The knife that the Demon bastard had used to cut Gail wasn't even an Angel blade. He hadn't been trying to kill her, he had only been looking to inflict maximum pain. But the action backfired. Cas's eyes blazed bright blue. He flung his arms out to the sides, knocking the Demons who had been holding him by his arms into the overhead bins, rendering their vessels unconscious. He rushed over to where Gail lay and put his hand on her throat, healing the wound.

Tommy yelled incoherently, shoving one of the Demons into another. They crashed into the beverage cart and it rolled down the aisle into another Demon, who had his knife raised, about to stab Frank, who was being held by two other Demons. The Demon holding the knife on Frank was knocked off-balance by the cart, and the knife flew out of his hand. Sam caught it neatly with one hand, wrenching his arm out of the grasp of another Demon and stabbing him with it. Then he reached down and scooped the Demon knife he'd been forced to drop when he'd been attacked. He started working his way down the aisle to where Cas and Gail were, stabbing Demons and throwing their corpses aside on the way.

Dean was already there, fending off Demons while Cas was healing Gail and helping her to her feet. One of them punched Dean in the face and slashed his torso, and Cas reached out with his other arm and put his hand on Dean, healing his bleeding wound.

"Thanks," Dean said breathlessly. He stabbed the Demon who had attacked him, then glanced at Gail. "You OK?" he asked her.

"Yeah," she said dazedly, touching her throat. It was wet with blood. She absently waved her hand over herself to clean the blood, and then she realized how silly that was. Look around her.

Cas grabbed the Demon who had stabbed Gail by the shirt front and punched him in the face. He knocked the Demon's head into one of the overhead bins so hard that it left a dent. Then he stabbed the Demon with his Angel blade, over and over again.

"You're using the wrong knife, buddy," Frank called out to Cas, who looked up at him with a cold grin. "No, I'm not, Frank," Cas replied calmly. Then he resumed stabbing the Demon. It was screaming in pain.

Many of the passengers were screaming now too, shrinking away from the combatants. But a few of the men and one of the women were helping now, holding the unharmed Demons still for Cas's group to deal with.

"Thanks," Jody said to the woman, who had one of the Demons in a headlock. Jody stabbed him, and the woman shoved his body under the seat to make more room in the aisle. The bodies were starting to pile up now. Frank and Sam had the longest legs, so they were stepping over the bodies, but Cas had no such reservations. Once he'd finally dispatched the one who'd cut Gail's throat, he straightened up and made his way back to her, stepping on the Demons' bodies as he went. He only wished he weighed more. It was an irrational thought, he knew, but his blood was boiling.

So was Frank's. He'd been happy to see Cas carve that guy up. It had been a shock to see that Demon bastard cut Gail's throat like that. She seemed OK now, thank God, but it had been a horrifying sight nonetheless. And it must have really hurt, before Cas got to her. He touched his own throat briefly. He couldn't even imagine how that would feel.

It had hurt, a great deal, in fact. But right now, Gail was so hopped up on adrenaline that she had already forgotten what it had felt like. She had Dean on one side and Sam on the other, and they were killing Demons on either side of her, shielding her. It was sweet, but she wanted to contribute, so she popped out from between the brothers and reappeared beside Tommy. "Let's go," she said, grabbing his hand.

She winked him into the cockpit. There were two other Demons there, standing behind the pilot and co-pilot, who were also Demons. Tommy and Gail fought the guards. Gail took the Demon she was fighting by surprise. Because of her small stature, he hadn't expected her to fight as tenaciously as she did. He slashed at her twice, but she evaded him. Then she grabbed him and stabbed him in the shoulder. He yelled in pain, charging her, but she sidestepped him and pushed him into the Demon who was fighting with Tommy.

Suddenly, they were all flung against the wall of the cockpit as the plane started to nosedive. The Demon pilot turned around to look at the combatants, grinning. "You can keep fighting if you want, but it won't matter in a minute, when this thing is laying in about a million pieces on the ground. Good luck," he said, and he and the co-pilot popped out of the cockpit, and into the body of the plane.

Tommy and Gail were still tussling with the other Demons, arms and legs everywhere, and it was hard to tell whose limbs were whose, in the dim lighting of the cockpit. The plane was going down fast. Gail needed help. She called out to Cas on their frequency, and he popped in immediately. He seized the Demons and pulled them off of Gail and Tommy, flinging them to the other side of the cockpit.

"Go!" Cas yelled at Tommy. Their friend was trying to crawl against the tilt of the plane, but he wasn't strong enough to make it on his own. Cas let out a frustrated breath. He grabbed Tommy with both hands and hauled him to his feet, then took him over to the pilot's chair and slammed him in the seat.

As Tommy belted himself in the chair, Gail was gaping at Cas. How was he able to keep his balance? She was hanging on for dear life to the back of the co-pilot's seat so that she didn't go flying across the cockpit. Then she looked down at Cas's feet, and her mouth fell open. He was levitating!

The two Demons rushed Cas, but he grabbed them and slammed them together, stunning them. He killed one, but as he turned to the other, It said, "Screw this," and disappeared.

Tommy was pulling back on the yoke as hard as he could, and the plane began to level out. Cas was able to put his feet back on the ground now, and he rushed over to Gail, who was struggling to stand up. Cas put his hand on her arm, healing a stab wound that she didn't even realize she'd incurred. Then he helped her to her feet and eased her into the co-pilot's chair. "Thanks, sweetie," she said, trying to catch her breath.

Tommy was on the radio, letting Air Traffic Control that he was looking to come in for a landing.

"I'm going to go back and check on everyone," Cas told Tommy and Gail. "I believe that the Demons will all be dead now, but I need to see if there were any injuries incurred in the dive that I can heal." He gave Gail a quick kiss on the forehead, clapped Tommy on the shoulder, and then popped out.

Once Tommy had received his landing instructions, Gail looked at him and said, "You were wonderful, Tommy. There are a lot of people who owe their lives to you today."

He smiled wearily. "This is what it's all about, Gail, right here. Saving lives. Helping people. Now I get why those guys have made it their vocation. You're amazing, Gail. You, and the guys, and Cas? Wow. I just...wow."

Gail got up from the chair and leaned down to give him a quick peck on the cheek. "I'm going to go see if I can help Cas. How long till we land?"

"Not long," he advised. "Fifteen minutes or so."

Gail nodded. "OK, Tommy. I'll let Cas know."

When she left the cockpit and walked through the galley at the front of the plane, Gail heard raised voices. Everyone was gathered in the front part of the First Class section, and they were arguing.

"Gail, talk some sense into him," Frank said when he saw his sister. He nodded his head towards Cas, who had a Demon pinned up against the bulkhead, holding a knife at his throat.

Gail's forehead wrinkled. "What's going on?"

Cas glanced at her, pursing his lips. "His boss is so fond of sending messages, I thought we should send one back," he said in a clipped tone.

"And I say we just kill the son of a bitch," Frank said.

"You don't understand, Frank," Cas said impatiently. "Lucifer needs to know that he can't just pull something like this and not expect a proportional response."

"And what's proportional, Cas?" Jody argued. "We've killed all his disciples, for lack of a better term, and no humans have been killed. That's a win-win for us, and it's the correct response."

Cas looked at Gail again. "What do you think?" he asked her.

Gail was looking at him speculatively. She had no idea what he'd had in mind, but he had a funny look on his face. She could tell he was furious. A few dozen dead Demons had only whet his appetite.

"Frank and Jody are right," Gail said, "but so is Cas. This has been the best resolution we could have hoped for, but I also agree that Lucifer has to get a message from us." She thought a moment, then snapped her fingers. "I've got it," she told them. "It's kind of crazy, but I think I know what we should do."

Cas took a deep breath and then nodded. If he hadn't been menacing a Demon, he would have smiled. She was amazing. With just a couple of sentences, Gail had been able to make him see that he was getting carried away, while still supporting him at the same time. He looked at the Demon, then drove his knife into Its chest, killing It.

Then he looked at Gail again. "What do you propose?"

"I think we should leave a handful of passengers intact," Gail told him. "We'll tell them we're Angels, and that Lucifer is responsible for the hijackings. Then, when they're being interviewed by CNN and all the TV stations, they can be our conduit. We'll tell them that we're watching out over the human race, but that we need their help. If everyone bands together to resist him, he will lose. Let's tell him that." Her lips twitched, despite the seriousness of the situation. "Maybe we can get a rough, tough guy to give the Devil the finger, or something."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Sam asked her. "Won't that just stir him up even more?"

"Look around you, Sam," she said, eyebrows raised. "He's not exactly idle now, is he?"

Cas was staring at her. His first instinct had been to refuse. What she was suggesting was outrageous. He had spent untold centuries operating in the shadows away from human notice, and now, Gail was proposing that they should use a very public forum to not only announce their presence here, but to throw down the gauntlet to Satan?

But then, he took a beat, and he thought about it for a moment. Maybe it WAS time to make their presence known. Just because something had always been a certain way, didn't mean that it had to be that way for all eternity, did it? Look at the ancient laws they had rewritten. Look at how Bobby had introduced computers and modern methods into Heaven. And how about Cas and Gail's own wedding, where they had turned the tables by agreeing that Castiel would vow obedience to Gail? Not everyone in Heaven approved of those things, he was aware. But as far as Cas was concerned, these things had all been good. So maybe it was time to rip a few more pages from the rule book. Lucifer certainly had.

Still, his indoctrination in the ancient ways ran deep, and he protested: "I don't know if we should do that, Gail."

"Why the hell not, Cas?" Dean said, throwing his hands up in frustration. "Isn't it about time? People need to know that not all of you guys are dicks. They need to know that something bigger than them is out there, fighting the good fight." He gestured to the passengers. "Look at what some of those guys did. They started to help us. Just like those guys on 9/11. All they need is hope, Cas."

Gail was looking at Dean with her mouth open. "I don't even know what to say, Dean. I'm just so impressed with you, right now," she said to him.

He looked at her suspiciously. "Sarcasm?"

"No," Gail said sincerely. She moved forward to kiss him softly on the cheek. "No," she repeated softly.

Cas regarded his wife and his best friend. He too had been moved by what Dean had said. Sometimes they didn't give Dean enough credit for his intelligence, and his insight. "Come with me, please," he said to his group. "We don't have much time." They could all feel that the plane was starting its descent.

Cas asked their human friends to select six passengers to be their spokespeople, and to give them the message they wanted to be relayed. Then he and Gail hurried back to the Economy section and quickly started to modify everyone else's memories. Then the Angels popped their human friends into the cockpit just as Tommy was powering down. As soon as the plane had come to a halt and the engines were turned off, they winked out of the plane.

Back in the bunker, they all gathered around the TV to watch the continuing coverage on CNN. The newscasters were talking about the first two flights that had landed safely while showing a shot of the third plane, which was now sitting on the tarmac. SWAT teams and emergency crews were cautiously approaching the plane.

"As we wait to see what the authorities will find when they board Flight 136, we'll recap what we know so far, which is very little," the anchorman was saying. "The three planes were all hijacked roughly an hour ago while they were in the air, making the approach to McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. Presumably, the hijackers were passengers on the flights, although it is a mystery as to why they would have waited until the flights had nearly landed to make their move. The three flights do not seem to have any connection to each other, yet they were all taken over simultaneously. But from that moment on, the mystery deepens. Flights 63 and 151 landed safely at McCarran International a short time ago, despite the fact that both of their pilots and co-pilots were found murdered in the cockpits. Also dead are the men who were presumed to be the hijackers. Not a single passenger was harmed, but reportedly, none of them can provide any explanation to the authorities as to what might have happened on those flights, or how the planes were able to land safely."

He put a hand to his ear. "We have a reporter at the scene. Nick, what do you have for us on Flight 136?"

A voice-over: "The reports that are coming in are astonishing. It should be noted that these are preliminary reports only, but as the first few passengers disembark, they are echoing the accounts that we heard from the people who were on the first two planes. The only difference in this case so far seems to be that the hijackers on this plane were approximately triple in number." A pause, then the disembodied voice said, "We have a small group of passengers who are refusing to be taken away by the authorities until they can talk to the media. They say they've got a message they urgently need to deliver to the public." Another pause. "We'll have video in three, two..."

Suddenly, a shot of the reporter who had been speaking appeared on the TV screen. He was standing on the tarmac holding a microphone. Standing with him were four men and two women, the people that the Winchesters and Frank and Jody had picked to deliver their message.

"First off, I just want to say that our hearts went out to you during your ordeal," Nick said to the group.

A large, muscular man grabbed the microphone. "Yeah, yeah. Hearts, flowers, prayers, whatever. We're here to tell everyone what really happened. Those terrorist bastards took over the plane, just like 9/11. But then, some men and a couple of women just suddenly appeared, and they started kicking their asses. They killed them all, and then one of them landed the plane."

"They appeared?" Nick said incredulously. Someone had handed him another microphone. "Where did they come from?"

"Heaven," a woman said. The burly man was sharing the microphone with his fellow passengers. "They were Angels," the woman said.

"Angels?" Nick repeated. "Do you mean that literally?"

"Yeah," the male passenger said. He seemed to be taking charge now. "They told us that they were Angels, and that they had a message for the Devil."

Cas looked at their human friends, eyebrows raised. Dean shrugged. "We didn't have a lot of time. It was just easier that way."

Chuck grinned. "Welcome to the dick club," he quipped. Dean gave him a double-take, but then he had to smile. Chuck had gotten him good there.

"And what was this message?" the reporter asked the group.

"Hope," one of the other men said. "They wanted us to know they're watching over us, but that we have to resist evil, too. We all have to do our part. If we do that, we can all defeat the Devil, together. I'll tell you what: I haven't prayed in years, but now I'm going to start again."

"Me, too," the other female said. She was a young girl, who had a wistful smile on her face. "Especially if all of the Angels are as handsome as those ones were. Wow. I wish I'd been able to take their pictures and show you. But one of them told me that since they're celestial beings, if I tried to take their picture, my cell phone would explode in my hand."

Frank was grinning proudly as Cas looked at him, open-mouthed. "I know. Pretty good, right?" Gail's brother said.

"Frank, you shouldn't have said that," Cas chided him. "It's not true."

"Well, of course it's not true," Frank replied, "but it worked, didn't it? No photos of any of us popping up on social media."

Cas pursed his lips. He didn't approve, but it was too late to do anything about it now.

"The men WERE really good-looking," the middle-aged female passenger confirmed, "and there were two women, also. One of the women was fighting and killing the terrorists alongside the men, and the other woman was a short little thing. She and another one of the male Angels disappeared. I guess they must be the ones who landed the plane."

"Hey, look at me. I'm an Angel," Tommy said, grinning.

"You certainly are," Barry said warmly. He and Tommy were holding hands. Barry hadn't let go of his boyfriend since the group had returned to the bunker. He'd been so worried about them all.

"And I'm a co-pilot," Gail said pertly. Then she affected a pout. "But everybody called the guys handsome, and no one called us pretty," she said to Jody.

Jody shrugged, smirking. "Hey, it's the young girl who said that. I'm pretty sure we were more or less invisible to her."

Gail nodded. Fair enough. She had grown used to feeling invisible around females when she was with Cas and the Winchesters.

"Hey, I'm as straight as they come, but even I have to agree that those guys were really good-looking," the burly passenger said, reclaiming the microphone.

Gail threw up her hands. "Oh, come on!" she exclaimed, exasperated.

Frank was smirking. "Don't worry about it. That guy's probably batting for Barry and Tommy's team. Look at him. I say he's deep in denial."

"Well, whatever the case may be, I think Tommy deserves a medal for what he did today," Gail remarked. She smiled at Cas. "Is there such a thing as honourary Angel status?"

"If not, there should be," Cas replied. "You saved a lot of lives today," he said to Tommy. "You should be very proud."

Barry squeezed Tommy's hand, and Tommy smiled. But now, the enormity of what they had just been through started to get to him, and his body started to shake. My God. Thank God for his friends. "So, the bottom line is, everybody needs to stand up for what's right," the muscular male passenger was saying now. "If we band together and help the Angels, we can beat the Devil. In fact, one of the Angels told me to give Satan one of these, and I'm gonna give it to him with both barrels." The man raised his hands, showing his middle fingers.

Everyone in the bunker laughed, even Cas. Dean was grinning. "Sorry, Cas," he said. "Couldn't resist; didn't try."

"That is excellent," Frank said, stretching his arm out to give Dean a high-five.

Then the officials moved in, and the passengers of the plane were herded onto a bus to take them to the police station to be interviewed. Nick turned back to the camera and said, "Angels. The Devil. While the officials begin their investigation, we are left to wonder exactly what transpired on those mystery flights. Back to you."

Sam grabbed the remote and put the broadcast on mute. "Well, I guess all's well that ends well," he said.

But Cas was frowning. He supposed that was true, but: "We need to get that Tablet," he said. "Lucifer is trying to push us; we need to push back."

"I have an idea," Tommy said. "Hold on." He took his cell phone out of his pocket and called one of his old contacts, telling the man he needed a favour. He outlined what he wanted his friend to say as the others listened, impressed. This could be just the thing they'd needed to turn the situation to their advantage.

After Tommy hung up the phone, he said, "Turn up the volume, Sam. We should hear what I want to hear in a few minutes. Eugene knows what he's doing. He'll rattle their cages."

Sure enough, a couple of minutes later, the anchorman advised that a report had just been received that the hijackers of the planes had been terrorists, looking to repeat the events of 9/11. But instead of New York City, the intended targets had been the Las Vegas Strip, the military base near the mountains, and Area 51.

Cas looked admiringly at Tommy. "That was a very good idea," he told their friend.

"Yeah, that should give them a wake-up call," Tommy said with a grim smile. He rose from his chair, bringing Barry with him. "But right now, I think I want to go and rest for a bit. Now that the adrenaline has worn off, I'm feeling pretty worn out. But I'll keep my phone on, and if I hear from Wyatt, I'll let you know right away, Cas. I have the feeling that'll be sooner now, rather than later."

Gail got up and went over to where the men stood. She took Tommy's face in her hands and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you, Tommy," she said to him. "On behalf of all of us."

Cas was right behind her, and he pulled Tommy in for a hug, also thanking him.

"I think I might want to take some flying lessons now," Barry quipped, and they all laughed. Then the men walked down the hall to their bedroom.

Gail looked at Cas. "So, since we have a few minutes, I have a question for you."

"What is it, my love?" he asked her, taking her hands in his.

"What the heck was that, back in the cockpit of that last plane?" she asked him. "You were levitating, Cas."

"He was what?" Sam asked, astonished.

Cas gave them a sheepish grin. "Yes, it's true. I was just as surprised as Gail was. I've never actually been able to do that before. Desperate times, I suppose. I had to defend my wife."

Gail was slowly shaking her head. "Just when I think you can't get any more amazing, you manage to do it, anyway," she remarked, smiling at him.

Cas smiled, but he was distracted now. "I did let that one Demon get away, though." Gail knew what he was talking about. Cas had managed to kill one of the two Demons that she and Tommy had been tussling with, but the other one had popped out before Cas could dispatch him, too. Actually, she was amazed that more of them hadn't done that. She supposed the fact that they had just stayed there and let themselves be murdered only proved the point that Dean had been making all along: Demons were really, really stupid.

Gail shrugged. "You can't win them all, Cas. With any luck, he's back with Lucifer now, telling him how fearsome we are, and that he should just give up."

Cas smiled faintly. "If only." But she was trying to keep his spirits up, and he appreciated that. He embraced her, kissing her softly on the forehead.

"Anyone want a drink?" Dean said.

The Demon who had gotten away had indeed gone back to the compound to report to Lucifer what had transpired. Lucifer was also sitting in front of the TV watching CNN, and he was in a towering rage. How on earth could you deploy that many Demons to get a job done and end up with all of them but one dead, and each and every human still alive? As the young people said, this had been an epic fail. And now, the anchorman was saying that the hijackers had been terrorists, trying to target the Strip and Area 51? Where the hell had that come from? And when that guy had looked at the TV camera and given Lucifer the one-finger salute with both hands, it had taken every ounce of self-control he had not to blow the TV set up with a wave of his hand.

"Come with me," Lucifer had said to the returnee. He grabbed him by the arm and marched him outside to the front lawn. He bellowed for the Demons to come, and when they gathered, he made the Demon tell his compadres what had happened.

When he'd finished, Lucifer glared at the assembled Demons. "See, this is what happens when you have stupid, useless idiots working for you," he seethed.

"Hey, we did everything we were supposed to do," the Demon protested. "They just killed the crap out of everybody. Castiel was like a wild man. I was lucky to get out of there alive." He was sweating bullets now. Why the hell had he ever come back here? Lucifer was going to rip him to pieces.

"Is that so?" Lucifer asked. His voice was very calm now, almost conversational. "Let me ask you something: are you a Demon?"

The Demon was puzzled. What a weird question. "Ummm...yeah."

"OK, well, I was just wondering," Lucifer said mildly. "Because the last I checked, DEMONS COULD TELEPORT!" he yelled.

Funny that that had never occurred to any of them. But it had all happened so fast. "You weren't there," he said defensively. "You don't know what it was like."

Lucifer's blood was boiling. "No, you're right. I wasn't there," he replied. "If I had been, I can guarantee you that there would be a pile of dead humans at my feet, and a couple of dead Angels!" he raged. "But at least Castiel did me a favour by culling the stupid ones for me! Maybe I should send all of you black-eyed bastards to him. Then only the ones that survive would be deemed fit to serve me!"

The assembled Demons stirred, and there was some grumbling in the ranks now. They might not be Mensa members, but they knew when they were being insulted.

Before he could stop himself, the Demon blurted out, "If you're so capable of killing Angels, then why is Castiel still alive?" Then he clapped his hand over his mouth. He definitely should not have said that. But Lucifer had just made him so damn mad.

Lucifer turned his head slowly to look at him, and his eyes were blazing red. He snapped his fingers, and the Demon exploded. Then Lucifer looked back at the crowd. "Who out there agrees with what he just said?"

Paul was fighting hard to keep a straight face. He was standing behind Lucifer, but sometimes it was hard to tell what the Devil knew, and what he didn't. As it was, every time they made eye contact, Paul felt as if Lucifer was looking right into him and knew that Paul was frantically trying to think of a way to derail his plans. But that could just be Paul, being paranoid. But if he was paranoid, so was Lucifer. He hadn't let Paul out of his sight since Mark had been murdered.

None of the Demons spoke up, of course, but a few of them suddenly rediscovered their ability to teleport, and a couple of dozen of them disappeared.

Lucifer gritted his teeth. He'd better try to calm down. The way he was feeling right now, he could just wave his hand and obliterate the whole lot of them. But he needed the numbers for Armageddon, and he didn't want to send only humans out against Castiel's people.

He snapped his fingers and reappeared in the mansion's library, then he went to the bar and poured himself a stiff drink, pondering his next move.

Most of the Demons that had disappeared from Lucifer's compound were roaming around the streets now, unsure of what to do with themselves. They were very much like a lot of the Angels were: directionless. Without a leader to tell them what to do, many otherworldly beings tended to drift. The Angels had the structure of Heaven's daily business operations to keep them going, but the Demons that remained on Earth had no such purpose.

Which was why a number of them eventually ended up going back to Hell. Even though they were certain that the King would subject them to excruciating and creative tortures for having defected to Lucifer's camp, they slowly started to migrate back to their home.

But they were surprised when they got there. When they popped back in to the intake area, which was the only place that Crowley's minions could access on their own, the King had already been standing there, as if he'd known that they were coming. And, astonishingly, he had shaken the hand of each and every returnee, and welcomed them back.

Crowley gathered all of the returnees in the conference room, and he told them to help themselves to a drink. Then he sat down and drank with them. He was channeling his former persona as King Arthur, having social hour with the Knights at the Round Table. You could catch more flies with honey, or whatever the expression was. When the first group of Demons had arrived from Lucifer's compound, bringing the Devil's message, they had been cowering with fear. They really had been between a rock and a hard place. It was a suicide mission, yet they didn't dare refuse Lucifer's orders.

Crowley had seen an opportunity here. It sounded as if Lucifer was starting to show his true colours now, one shade of which was his utter incompetence as a leader. So Crowley had offered the original landing party commiseration and succor, and they had decided to stay in the Kingdom when he had promised that there would be no repercussions for their defection. Then Crowley had read Lucifer's scribbled message, and he had almost laughed out loud. So, Armageddon was nigh, was it? Lucifer was just waiting to get the magic number of 144,000, and then he was going to lay waste to the Earth. He was just letting Crowley know, as a courtesy.

Crowley's eyebrows rose. Really? Well, wasn't that nice. But the Demons he had sent to see Crowley had also advised that Lucifer had deployed other teams of Demons to the Earth, but they didn't know what for.

And now, the new arrivals were telling Crowley about the hijacking of the planes, and the bloody result for their side. He couldn't believe it. Where did one start? On the surface, it would have seemed like a viable enough plan. But Crowley knew Castiel well enough to know that he would not capitulate to Lucifer's demands. Had Lucifer forgotten about Egypt? Castiel had set a number of innocent humans up for slaughter there, just to establish his credibility. Castiel wasn't nearly as loath to let humans die as Lucifer seemed to think he was. But in this instance, no one had ended up dying except for the hapless Demons that Lucifer had sent to those planes. Crowley almost felt like laughing at Lucifer's naivete.

But in the meantime, the defectors were defecting back, and Crowley told them to spread the word: If anyone else wanted to return to the fold, they would be welcomed with open arms. After seeing the mistakes that Lucifer was making, the King told them that he wanted to rebuild and rebrand Hell. It takes a village, a thousand points of light, blah, blah, blah. These guys seemed to be buying it. And maybe Crowley even meant it. But for right now, his primary concern was getting his numbers back up, and revitalizing Hell. For a short time, Crowley had thought that he could align himself with Lucifer, but that had been folly. That would have been like trying to co-rule with a chimpanzee; it might appear to be an intelligent primate, but you knew that sooner or later, the diaper would come off, and then there would be feces all over the place.

Crowley smiled at his analogy, startling the Demons. Could it be? A kinder, gentler King of Hell? One or two of them asked for and received permission to install a suggestion box in the hallway outside Crowley's office, and a third was granted leave to go back to Lucifer's compound undercover, to be Crowley's pipeline for information. While there, he would work on his brethren, trying to convince them to return to Hell. One or two more days like today, and he was pretty sure that the defections would begin to increase.

The King of Hell poured himself another drink. Things were definitely on the uptick now.

Barry and Tommy had cuddled for a while, then they had cried a bit together when Tommy had confided what it was like on those planes. And then Tommy had fallen asleep for a couple of hours. When he woke, Barry was spooning him, and they ended up making love. Then Tommy dozed off again, smiling.

Just before dawn, Tommy's cell phone rang. He reached over to the nightstand where it sat and looked at the display. "Wyatt," he said to Barry.

Tommy's ex-boyfriend was talking softly. "Adrian came to see me late last night," Wyatt said. "He was freaked out about the hijackings, and I told him that your friend Cas knew who was behind them. I said if he got your friends the credentials they'd been asking for, they could prevent another 9/11."

Tommy was astonished. "What?!" he exclaimed.

Wyatt smiled. "Look, Tom-Tom, you can't fool me. I know you too well. You're being really mysterious, and so is Adrian. Everybody's lying to everybody. So why shouldn't I get in on the action? The bottom line is, we're all going to get what we want here. Adrian's gonna do it. He called some of his high-level contacts last night, and a couple of low-level ones too, and your friends will have their credentials this morning. So does it really matter how that's going to happen, or why?"

Tommy sighed. "I suppose not. "So, how are we going to do this?"

"Bring your people to Eunice's Diner on I-91. Do you remember where that is?" Wyatt asked his ex.

"Yeah, I remember, Wyatt." Tommy and Wyatt used to go there for breakfast on rough mornings, after they'd been partying all night. The diner was located several miles from the Las Vegas city limits. It had the best, greasiest breakfasts around, and it was very unlikely they would run into any of Wyatt's crowd there. If there was anything that Tommy couldn't face when he had a massive hangover, it was a bunch of hung-over drag queens.

"We'll take their pictures and they'll have their IDs by the end of breakfast," Wyatt said. "Adrian's got a lot of pull."

Tommy let out a relieved breath. "That's great, Wyatt. I'll let them know. And, Wyatt? You're doing a very good thing."

"I know," Wyatt said cheerfully. "I'll wake Adrian up in about an hour. Please tell me that one of your guys is Cas; I'll need that long to fix myself up. Does he like butch, or femme? Dean was pretty butch, but I can go full drag, if it'll help my chances. Maybe Cas is looking for a change of pace."

Tommy put his hand to his forehead. Oh, God. "Don't bother," he told Wyatt with a faint smile. "We all had a pretty late night here, too. Just come as you are." Wyatt would find out soon enough, when Cas showed up for breakfast, glued to Gail. But Tommy had better not say anything right now. Until the group actually met with the General, it wasn't a done deal yet.

Tommy said goodbye to Wyatt and got dressed, walking out to the library area. Cas and Gail were cuddled up on the couch, watching TV. He told them about Wyatt's call.

"That's wonderful, Tommy," Cas said enthusiastically. "I'll wake Sam and Dean and then we'll get ready to go."

Tommy made a face. "Just to let you know, Wyatt still thinks you're...game," he finished, somewhat lamely. "And he sounds very, very interested."

"Well, too bad for him," Gail bristled. "The only hand on Cas's leg today will be mine."

Tommy grinned. "Message received. That's OK; if General Greene has agreed to do this, it doesn't matter whether Wyatt gets in a snit or not. He'll just have to get over it."

An hour or so later, Cas and Gail, Sam, Dean and Tommy were ready to leave.

"I'd say to give Wyatt my best, but I'd be lying," Barry said to Tommy with a wry expression.

"Don't worry, I'm only there as the go-between," Tommy told him. "I'll make the introductions, but then I'm going to step back. You can come with us, if you want."

Barry shook his head. "No. This is too important. I wouldn't want my presence there to start anything." He smiled wearily. "Besides, I know Wyatt's not going to try anything with all of those guys there."

Tommy returned his smile. "Are you kidding? I'm old news. He probably won't even notice me, not with all this other eye candy." He gestured to Cas and the Winchesters.

"And then here I come along, Mrs. Buzzkill," Gail said, raising an eyebrow. "Maybe I should just stay here with Barry, then."

Cas smiled, taking her hand. "I don't think so," he said to her. He gestured to Tommy. "Now, give Barry a kiss and then take my hand," Cas said to their friend. "It's time for us to go."

Tommy grinned. "I can't wait to see Wyatt's face when you show up hand-in-hand with Gail."

"Score one for the battleaxe," Gail quipped, and they all laughed. Seconds later, they were gone.

The introductions had been made, and Gail and the men were all sitting around a table in the centre of the diner. Adrian had paid the staff off to hang the Closed sign at the front door and draw the blinds. Then he had paid them extra to leave, once everyone had their breakfasts in front of them. He had snapped photos of Cas, Gail, Sam and Dean with his cell phone and sent them to his contact, who was currently making up the necessary ID badges.

Wyatt was sitting in-between Adrian and Tommy, and he was pouting. They had totally lied to him. Not only was Cas not gay, or even bi, but he was as straight as an arrow, and completely in love with his wife. She was actually a pretty cute little thing, but he hated her at the moment. Or, more accurately, he was extremely jealous of her right now. She and Cas were sitting close together across the table from him, and Cas was being very demonstrative with his affection for his wife. At first, Wyatt thought Cas might be playacting, or overcompensating. But after a few minutes, he could tell that the love between them was genuine. When their coffee came, Cas even put the creamer in his wife's cup, and he stirred it for her, too. She was obviously used to him doing that, because she sat patiently, waiting for him to complete the ritual. That had softened Wyatt's heart a bit. He would love to have a relationship like that. But Wyatt knew he'd have to clean up his act, first. No quality guy was going to put up with his promiscuity, and his late-night partying.

It was also a surprise to find out that Dean was straight, too. When Dean had shown up this morning with another guy, Wyatt had just assumed that they were a couple, and that Cas and Dean were both sneaking around behind their respective spouses' backs. Which had only made them more attractive to Wyatt. He had been figuratively licking his chops, picturing various scenarios involving himself and Cas, himself and Dean, and ultimately, the three of them, together. Dean's boyfriend Sam was also very handsome, and he was very big. Wyatt had looked him up and down, wondering if the cliche was true. Maybe, if Sam was fed up with Dean and Cas sneaking around on him, he would be looking for a little payback. Would he even fit in Wyatt's bed? Of course, there were other ways to skin a cat. So to speak.

But Wyatt's bubbles had been burst right, left, and centre on that score, and now he sat picking at his breakfast and sulking.

General Greene sat back in his chair, regarding the quartet curiously. He had asked them a ton of questions but gotten very few real answers. This man Cas seemed to be the group's leader. He did most of the talking as Sam and Dean ate breakfast. Strangely, Cas did not eat a bite, nor did his wife. Adrian was reminded of the being they had locked away at the base. It must just be his imagination, but Cas and Gail gave off the same sort of vibe as that individual. And Cas had been giving him the same sort of non-answers.

"Do I have your word that you're only looking to remove this mysterious object?" Adrian was asking Cas now.

"Yes," Cas confirmed, nodding. "I can promise you, the Tablet is of no use to you, but our acquisition of it will help to save mankind." He gave Gail a brief smile. "My apologies. I mean to say humankind."

Adrian's forehead wrinkled. "You speak as if you're separate from humans. And I notice you're not eating. Who are you, or more to the point, WHAT are you?"

"Is it really necessary that you know that?" Cas countered.

Adrian pursed his lips. This man was every bit as frustrating to talk to as the one they were holding. The only difference was the attitude. Cas was more soft-spoken and serious, whereas the other one was sarcastic and defiant. Adrian was thinking furiously now. Was there a connection here? Then his cell phone rang. It was his contact, letting him know that the credentials were ready.

"I'm taking a huge leap of faith, here. I just want you to know that," Adrian told them. "I'm putting everything on the line."

"And we appreciate it," Sam told him. "You can trust us. We're the good guys."

They all stood to leave. Cas had been planning to tell the General that they would follow him in their vehicles, although they had none. When they had left the bunker, they had first popped over to the hotel in Enoch, where they had been staying. They had checked out but had left the vehicles parked there. Frank and Jody were just getting up when the group had been leaving for the diner, and Cas had asked Chuck to wink the couple over to Enoch to get all of their vehicles. Each of the three of them could take one of the cars and drive them back to the bunker. Once Cas found out where they were supposed to go to pick up the credentials, he and Gail had been planning to pop Sam and Dean and Tommy over there, after General Greene and Tommy had left the diner.

But suddenly, there was a noise overhead, and as Cas's head snapped up, he saw a light fixture falling from the ceiling, right above Gail's head. He had already been holding her hand, and he reflexively winked them both over to the other side of the room.

Crap. As the light fixture came crashing down from the ceiling, landing at the spot where Gail would have been standing, Adrian was staring at Cas, open-mouthed. So much for that. The General said, "OK, that's it. No one is going anywhere until you tell me what you are."

Cas sighed. "We're Angels."

Adrian's eyes narrowed. "Angels? Would you by any chance be the same Angels who rescued the passengers on those so-called mystery flights?"

"Yes," Cas confirmed.

"Then why didn't you just say so?" Adrian asked him, frowning.

"Strictly speaking, we're not supposed to make our presence known," Cas told him.

"And, let's face it, a lot of people wouldn't believe us, anyway," Gail added.

Adrian's mind was racing again. Angels? Hmmm. Did that mean that the captive they had back at the base was an Angel, too? Would he and Cas and Gail know each other? Could the two of them elicit his cooperation, then? Now, the General was wondering about the operation as a whole. He had promised Cas that he would get them into the base, and he would keep that promise. But he hadn't actually said anything about getting them out.

"Let's go get your credentials," Adrian said, smiling.


	2. Alien Angel

Chapter 2 - Alien Angel

Gail brushed a piece of lint from Cas's suit jacket. "I'd almost forgotten how handsome you look in a suit," she said, smiling.

He kissed her on the forehead. "Thank you, my darling," he said, pleased by her compliment. "I'm glad you still think so, after all this time."

"Are you kidding?" she said lightly. "I swear, you get more handsome every year. In a few more years, I'm going to need sunglasses just to look at you."

Cas laughed. "Well, you just keep on getting cuter, every year."

"No wonder nobody can stand to be around us," Gail quipped. "We're way too perfect." She looked in the mirror, checking that her ID badge was pinned on correctly. Then she turned back around to look at her husband. "Ready to go get a Tablet?" she said pertly. They joined hands and winked over to the bunker.

Sam and Dean were dressed in their FBI suits too, and they also had their fake IDs pinned to the lapels of their jackets. According to the photo ID badges, the four of them had Top Secret clearance.

Dean had the case for the Tablet in hand, and Cas's forehead wrinkled as he looked at it. Now that they were actually heading out to obtain the Tablet, he wondered if any of them were even going to be able to touch it. As with all of the previous Tablets, this one would probably only be able to be handled by someone who had a connection with the realm in question. But this was the Netherworld Tablet. Would Cas himself perhaps be able to handle it, because he had been there briefly, when he had been executed? Or perhaps any one of them would be able to put it in the case, if Death still had them all on his list to be assigned to the Netherworld. Castiel fervently hoped not, though. Many who were considered God's elite had gone there, such as the Archangels. Castiel was in the category of the elite, and he was sure that Gail would be by now, too; if not for her status as an Original Angel, then simply as his wife. But there were no guarantees. Death was an imperious, capricious individual, and he answered to no one.

But they would have to cross that bridge when they came to it. Cas and Gail took Sam and Dean's hands and popped them over to General Greene's office. He kept an office in a nondescript low-rise building a couple of blocks away from the Las Vegas Strip. It was mainly used just as a way station when Adrian needed a place to rest, after cruising the Strip late. He had a computer there that he used to make dates, away from the prying eyes at home.

There was no pretense needed any more. The General knew exactly what Cas and Gail were now, so he wasn't surprised when they arrived mere minutes after Tommy had advised they were coming.

He walked with them downstairs to the underground parking lot, where they all got into the General's SUV. Then he drove them out to the base.

"Good afternoon, Sir," the sentry said.

"Good afternoon," Adrian responded.

The sentry looked curiously at the General's passengers, but he said nothing. Adrian kept on driving, until he got to the next checkpoint. He glanced at Cas as they coasted to the booth.

"You and your people will have to get out here, so they can scan your badges," he told Cas. "But don't worry, they'll scan. Even I have to do it, every time I come here."

So he parked at the second checkpoint. The guard there greeted the General by name, and they all got out of the vehicle. Adrian introduced the quartet as visitors from a special branch of the government, here to check out the facilities.

"Are they here to see the subject?" the guard asked him curiously.

Adrian gave him a warning glare, but the damage had been done. Cas's eyes narrowed slightly, and the General knew that he had heard. Dammit.

Their ID passed muster, and they got back into the SUV. Adrian was looking at Cas out of the corner of his eye, but the Angel sat calmly, still saying nothing. Maybe he was so focused on obtaining the Tablet that he didn't care. Not that Adrian was going to let him have that particular slab of stone, of course.

At the third and final checkpoint, Adrian said, "We'll have to get out again. They'll scan your badges once more, and they'll frisk you, too."

Dean was alarmed. "But we're all carrying!"

Adrian nodded. "That's OK. You're all supposed to be with a Top Secret, covert government organization. They'd be surprised if you weren't armed. I carry a sidearm myself, yet they frisk me every time I come."

They got out at the third checkpoint. There were two guards there, and they both had automatic weapons.

"Good afternoon, General Greene," one of them said, saluting Adrian smartly.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen," he replied, exiting the vehicle. "By now, I'm sure that Checkpoints Alpha and Bravo have called ahead to tell you that these people with me are visitors to the base from a Top Secret branch of the government."

"What branch would that be, Sir?" the other guard asked.

Adrian's heart fluttered a little, but he was their superior officer, so he said, "That's on a need-to-know. I am vouching for them. I've given them the heads-up that you will be searching them for weapons, just as I'll give you the heads-up that they'll all be armed, as I am."

The guards exchanged glances. Then they requested that Cas and Gail and the Winchesters come around the vehicle and stand still, with their feet apart. The first guard went up and down the line, scanning their badges, and the second one frisked the men. Adrian, Dean and Sam all had guns, which the guard inspected briefly and then returned to them.

Then he got to Gail, and he faltered. He'd never patted down a woman before, because they'd never had a woman come here before.

"It's OK," Gail said, noting his hesitation. "Do what you have to do."

The guard glanced at the General, then back at Gail, and then he ran his hands lightly over her body. Cas was looking very closely at where the guard's hands were going, and his lips were drawn tightly together. Gail was trying not to look at him, because if she did, she was going to start laughing.

Cas needn't have worried. The guard was so reluctant to frisk a woman that he just barely grazed her. She could have had fourteen weapons on her, and he wouldn't have found any of them. All she actually did have was her Angel blade in her front pocket, and it remained there, undetected, as the guard straightened up and moved on to Cas.

Angel blade! Gail's heart skipped a beat. How were they going to explain those?

Cas didn't get off as lightly as Gail had. He had been frisked before, many times, so he stood stoically as the guard patted him down.

"Open your jacket," the guard ordered him. Cas did, and the guard reached into his pocket and took out the blade. It was collapsed at the moment, so it looked as small as a Swiss army knife. "What's this?" the guard asked Cas warily.

"If you'll allow me," Cas said, holding his hand out. The guard put it in his hand. Cas pushed the hidden spring, and the blade popped out. The guard's eyes widened. "What the hell kind of weapon is that?" he asked Cas.

"It's a prototype," Cas said smoothly. "I'm afraid I can't tell you anything more. It's Top Secret."

The guard glanced at Adrian again, who said, "OK, I've got to move this along. These people have a tight schedule." Cas put his blade away, and they all got back into the SUV. The guards opened the gates for them, and then they were in the compound.

"'It's a prototype'," Sam repeated, amused. "Good one, Cas."

But Cas was starting to feel strange now. As the vehicle moved closer to the entrance for the underground bunker, he started to shake. Then he felt a pain in his temples. His hands flew up to his head. What the hell was this, now?

Gail was feeling nauseous, and by the time the General had parked the vehicle, she was clutching her stomach. "What is it, Cas?" she asked him, seeing the pain on his face.

"Sigils," he gasped. "Ancient, powerful ones."

Adrian was looking at the two of them with great interest. The being they were holding captive downstairs had uttered the word "sigils" when they had first locked him up. Apparently, the red symbols that were etched on the entrance to the bunker prevented their subject from leaving. But, the prisoner was fit as a fiddle. These two looked like they were about to be sick.

"If you're going to take us any further, you'll have to breach the sigils," Cas said, holding his head with both hands now.

"How do I do that?" the General asked.

"Come on. We'll show you," Dean said. "Give me your knife, Cas." He and Sam got out of the back seat, and he reached in the open front passenger window. Cas dug into his jacket pocket and slapped the blade into Dean's hand. "Please, hurry," he groaned.

Adrian led the Winchesters into the Quonset hut that was a cover for the entrance to the underground. He inserted a key into the wall which opened a panel, then put his hand on the panel to call the elevator. When it came, he gestured to Sam and Dean to get in. "We'll have to go downstairs. Then you can do what you need to do to enable the Angels to enter."

They rode down and when they emerged, they stepped into a long corridor. Dean saw the sigils right away, painted on the walls. He moved forward quickly and scraped at them with Cas's knife. Once the symbols were eroded, he turned to Adrian. "They should be OK to come in now," Dean told the General.

"All right," Adrian said. "We'll go back up and get them, then."

"We can just wait here," Sam offered, but Adrian frowned, shaking his head. "This is the most Top Secret facility in the world," he told the brothers. "Leap of faith or not, I'm not leaving two strangers, and civilians to boot, alone down here."

Sam shrugged. He guessed he could see the guy's point.

When the men went back up, Cas and Gail said they were feeling much better. "Thanks," Gail said to them. "I didn't want to break my vomit streak."

"Vomit streak?" Dean asked her. "What's that?"

Gail shrugged. He obviously didn't get the reference. Oh, well. She'd just been joking out of nerves, anyway.

Cas was feeling better too, but he still had a low-grade headache, almost like a persistent hum in his head. Odd. But he was well enough to proceed, so he took Gail's hand and they followed the men back to the elevator.

Adrian snapped his fingers. "I forgot my key card in the truck. Wait here. I'll be right back." He exited the hut as the four of them looked at each other.

"That's weird," Dean said. "He just made a big production out of leaving us downstairs for one minute." He handed Cas's blade back to him.

"Yeah, but there's nothing we could do right here," Sam remarked. "We couldn't get downstairs without him. I sincerely doubt the elevator would work for any one of us."

Adrian came back a minute later. "OK, let's go," he said to them.

They rode the elevator down to where they'd been before, and Cas scanned the breached sigils on the corridor walls with great interest. "These are ancient and powerful sigils," he commented. He looked at Adrian. "Where did these come from? Who put them here?"

"I don't know," Adrian replied. "They were here when I first got here, years ago."

Castiel's forehead wrinkled. Curious. Why would there be ancient sigils here? To protect the Tablet? Or, was there more to it than that? "Who, or what, is the 'subject' that the guard mentioned earlier?" Cas asked the General.

A group of MPs came down the corridor, and Adrian let out a breath. Finally.

"You called for us, Sir?" one of them said.

"Yes," Adrian said. He gestured to Sam and Dean. "These men are impostors. Disarm them and lock them up in separate interrogation rooms." Then he looked at Cas and Gail. "Use the special chains and handcuffs on these two, and take them to the wing where the subject is. Then get someone out here with some paint, to repair those." He nodded to the sigils on the wall.

The men grabbed Sam and Dean. They fought, but they were vastly outnumbered. As they were hustled down the corridor, Cas and Gail were struggling, too. The chains and handcuffs had sigils on them also and, while they were not as powerful as the ones on the wall had been, they were strong enough to negate the Angels' powers, at least, for the time being.

Cas was furious. They had gone through all of this, only to be set up? He was struggling mightily as the MPs took his blade, and then wrapped the chains around him. His arms were at his sides now, and he could feel his power ebbing away. Still, he struggled.

"Ow! You're hurting me!" Gail shouted. She was struggling fiercely too, but it was no use. They had those chains around her too, and her hands were cuffed behind her back.

Cas's eyes blazed bright blue. "Do not hurt her!" he told them. "There's no need to hurt her."

"If she would stop squirming, we wouldn't have to," one of the MPs said.

"What would you do, if you were being attacked like this?" Gail retorted angrily.

"We're not attacking you, we're merely subduing you," Adrian said calmly. "We only have your word for it that you're Angels. For all we know, you're aliens, or something else, entirely. In any event, until we can ascertain exactly what you are, or if you pose any threat to national security, we're going to hold you here."

"What are you going to do with Sam and Dean?" Gail asked him. She had stopped struggling, but her heart was beating fast now. These military guys didn't fool around. She and Cas couldn't be hurt by their guns, but Sam and Dean certainly could.

"We're just going to ask them a few questions," Adrian replied. "And maybe, if the two of you cooperate, we'll let them go. We'll see."

Cas was seething. Let them go. Yeah, right. "What do you mean, if we cooperate?" he asked through clenched teeth.

"We have a guest here," Adrian replied calmly. "He's been here for several years now. He refuses to tell us what he is, where he came from, or anything about himself. He just showed up here one day, muttering something about Lucifer, and Armageddon."

Cas's eyebrows shot up, but he said nothing for the moment. Adrian continued, "He showed us some otherworldly powers, but then we were able to subdue him, using the same restraints we have on you now. But he won't give us anything. We even showed him that same stone Tablet you seem to want get your hands on, and he reacted to it. I know he knew what it was, and what the language was on it. But he refused to translate it for us. In fact, he told us to do something quite obscene to ourselves."

Gail smiled; she couldn't help it. She had no idea who or what this being was, but he sounded like her kind of guy.

Cas's mind was racing. Who could they possibly be holding here? At first blush, the individual sounded like another Angel. There was only one problem with that; based on the power he and Gail had felt emanating from the sigils that had been painted on the wall here, and how sick the symbols had made them feel, he didn't see how an ordinary Angel could possibly have survived this long. A Demon, maybe? Or, an actual alien? But why should this "guest" have been speaking about Lucifer, and Armageddon?

"If the two of you will talk to this guy and convince him to give us some answers, maybe, just maybe, we can work out some kind of an arrangement," the General said to Cas.

Cas let out a frustrated breath. He didn't see an alternative at the moment. "Fine," he said, tight-lipped. "If you give me your word that Sam and Dean will not be harmed, we will agree to see this individual."

Gail laughed shortly. His word. Sure. They'd also had his word that he was going to help them obtain the Tablet.

Adrian glared at her for a moment. He knew how they must be feeling. But there was something fishy going on here, and it was time to get some answers. He led the way to the secure wing where the subject was being held. The MPs herded Cas and Gail down the halls and into the secured double doors, using their key cards.

As soon as they passed through the doors, Cas's head started to hum, and now Gail was starting to pick something up, too. In her case, it was a low-grade vibration, almost like she had a housefly buzzing around in her head.

Cas's wind was up now. This was an extremely powerful entity that they were going to see. He glanced at Gail, wondering if he should tell them he wanted to talk to their "subject" alone. But he didn't trust these men, and he wanted to be able to keep an eye on her and make sure that she was safe.

Adrian unlocked the door to the room where the subject was being held. "We have a couple of people here that you might know," the General said to their captive.

The MPs led Gail in, first. The man stood from the bed and looked at her. She was a cute little thing, but he'd never seen her before. She gave off a vibe which was interesting, though. He knew right away that she was an Angel, but somehow, she was more than just that.

But as soon as the door opened, he'd felt a way more powerful signal behind her, and the prisoner started to smile. Sure enough, Castiel stepped through the doorway a moment later, and the prisoner's grin widened. The look on Cas's face was priceless, he thought.

"Hello, Brother," the captive said.

Tommy was sitting at the kitchen table of the bunker, having coffee. When he'd gotten back from the diner, Barry had tried to persuade him to go back to bed for a while, knowing how exhausted he was. But Tommy was way too wired to sleep, so he'd shuffled into the kitchen and put on a pot of coffee.

He'd been sitting there quietly, sipping coffee in silence for a while. Earlier, Barry had drawn 2 chore slips from the jar. Ostensibly, one was for him, and the other would be for Tommy. But Barry had taken pity on his boyfriend, in this instance. "Just this once, I'll do your chore for you," he'd said to Tommy, leaning down to kiss him on the forehead. "Heroes are exempt today." Tommy had smiled wearily and told Barry to go ahead. Barry had chosen two chores at Cas and Gail's place, so Riley had popped him over there.

Robbie had wandered down the hallway, with his latest short story in hand. If Barry had been there, he might have tried to distract the boy, but since Barry wasn't, Robbie'd made a beeline for Tommy as soon as he had finished writing the story.

It was another morbid one, Tommy noted. He sighed inwardly. He supposed it was only natural, considering the type of stuff this kid was exposed to on a daily basis. But it was also a real shame. Still, he'd promised Robbie that he would be open-minded and objective about anything that Robbie wanted to show him. He wanted to encourage the writer in the boy. Also, Tommy knew that Robbie was very reticent to share some of his thoughts and feelings with his parents. He was on the cusp of being a teenager, and Robbie was already starting to take on the behaviour of one. A component of that state of being was Robbie's tendency to be more guarded and secretive. Tommy could relate to that. He hadn't been much older than Robbie was now when he had begun to question his sexuality. The feelings that Tommy had been having for some of his classmates had been confusing to him. He'd liked girls fine, but as buddies, only. While the rest of the guys he hung around with talked about kissing girls, and maybe doing more, Tommy had realized that he was more interested in trying those things with some of the guys than with any girl he knew. That was when he'd known that he was different, and he'd just shut down for a while, knowing that his family wouldn't approve.

Robbie was different, too. He knew a lot of things that he had no earthly business knowing, and Tommy could tell that this was very confusing for the boy. So he wanted to keep the lines of communication open, even if this was the only way it could be done at the moment. If Robbie was pressed too hard, Tommy knew he would clam up.

So Tommy was reading Robbie's latest story with mixed feelings. Was the plot a harbinger of future events, or was it just a product of Robbie's imagination? He had written that there would be an epic battle with Lucifer, and that Lucifer would lose. Great. But then, after that, there were more bad guys on the horizon, very powerful ones. And not just guys, either. There was one woman in particular who could take on the appearance of anyone she wanted, but she had big claws and scaly skin, and she killed people and ate their hearts, and their souls. She had killed Robbie's father Mark, and she had looked like his mother Felicia while she had been doing it. She was after something, some kind of book or books, that Robbie's father didn't have. But she'd killed him, anyway. All those bad guys were after those books, and they were going to cause all kinds of trouble for Robbie's Aunts and Uncles because of that.

Tommy put the story down on the table, trying to think of what he should say to the boy. If all, or even any, of this was real, Tommy should probably alert Cas. But what would he say? Look out for a lizard woman with sharp nails who could look like anybody, and who liked to eat bodily organs and collect books in her spare time?

Robbie was standing at the kitchen counter, making himself a sandwich. Tommy stared at the back of the boy's head. What was going on in that busy little noodle of his? So, he'd finally killed Mark off. It had certainly taken him long enough. When Tommy had been Robbie's age, he had already written at least half a dozen stories in which his own father had met his demise very suddenly, and in very gruesome ways. And really, hadn't every kid fantasized about the same thing, at one time or another? Robbie came by his hatred of his father honestly, at least. Mark had murdered his mother Felicia, told Robbie he didn't give a crap about him, and kidnapped Robbie to use as a bargaining chip for Lucifer. Not exactly Father of the Year material. So Tommy actually thought it was healthy for the boy to be writing about Mark's death at the hands of a monster. Cathartic. Maybe that made Tommy a bad role model, but that was truly how he felt.

"Another good one," Tommy said to Robbie. The boy smiled, bringing his sandwich to the table and sitting next to Tommy.

"Yeah? You like it?" Robbie asked him. "I know it's a little bit gross, but it's what I saw." He took a bite of his sandwich. Then he looked at Tommy hopefully. "Can I have a soda?"

Tommy rose from his chair and headed to the fridge. He got a can of soda out for Robbie and, after a moment's consideration, a bottle of beer for himself. What the hell. He was a hero, and it wasn't morning any more.

"When you say you 'saw' these things, do you mean in your imagination, or...?" Tommy asked Robbie casually, returning to the table with the beverages. He put the beer in front of Robbie, prompting a giggle from the boy, and then he sat down, switching the drinks back.

Robbie opened the pull tab on his soda, then drank quickly from the can, as if doing so would prevent Tommy from changing his mind and taking it away. They all usually monitored his sugar intake pretty closely. He shrugged. "I don't know, Dad. I just saw it in my head, like it was really happening. Mark's dead, and I don't care. I'm glad."

His voice had a bitter edge to it now, and even though that was hard to hear, Tommy thought it was good, too. "We never really talked much about that," Tommy said to the boy, taking a pull on his beer. It hadn't escaped his notice that Robbie had called him "Dad". That was new. "Is there anything you want to tell me?" Tommy added.

"Nope," Robbie said. "Now Lucifer's got one less bad guy on his side. I just wish there was another way to beat him."

"How ARE we going to beat him?" Tommy asked, keeping his voice calm and light.

Robbie put his sandwich down and looked at Tommy. "Once they get the final Tablet, they'll have to go back to find out what the last thing is. Then someone's gonna die. Then they'll get it, but then somebody else is gonna die. Then they'll fight him, and they'll win, but one more will fall in the process." Robbie had been speaking like himself when he'd begun, but when he finished, the child was sounding more like Castiel. Tommy's arms broke out in gooseflesh. That had been really eerie. And the worst thing was, at the moment, he had no doubts that what Robbie was saying was the absolute truth. God help them. God help them all.

Then the spell, if that was what it was, was broken, and Robbie's eyes started to fill with tears. "I'm scared, Daddy," he said to Tommy. "I don't want anybody to die."

"I know, Robbie," Tommy said softly.

"It's not my fault that I know all of this stuff! I wish I didn't!" Robbie wailed. "How come? Why DO I know all this stuff? Nobody else does! I looked it up online and it said that I'm psychic, and they called it a gift. Yeah, right. Some gift. It's not fair!"

Tommy nodded. "I know it's not." He opened his arms. "Come here."

Robbie launched himself into Tommy's arms. The boy may write and talk like an older kid sometimes, but he was still a child, trying to figure out how to deal with the crazy hand he'd been dealt. Tommy held him as he cried, murmuring noncommittal phrases of comfort.

But Robbie only cried for a minute or so. He knew that it was OK for a guy to cry sometimes, but he also wanted to toughen up, to be more like Frank, or his Uncles. They had to go through all kinds of crap, and they were always brave about it. Even Uncle Bobby; he'd cut off his own toe to save everyone in Romania. Wow. Robbie couldn't even imagine doing something like that. But it was all about sacrifice. Everybody in their group was prepared to put everything on the line for everyone else. Robbie knew that was what love was really all about.

Frank came into the kitchen. He had overheard the last part of their conversation, and he had hung back uncertainly. He'd heard Robbie call Tommy "Dad", and it had kind of thrown him for a loop. But he supposed it made sense. It's not like he and Jody hadn't talked about it before. They were supposed to be parenting the boy, but ever since the quests for those damn Tablets had begun, he and Jody had spent more time traipsing all over the world than spending any real quality time with him. So, could he blame the kid? No, any more than he could blame Tommy. Tommy was just doing what Frank and Jody had asked him to do. The fact that he seemed to be doing it better than Frank hurt, and it hurt quite a bit. But there was nothing he could do about it. Once again, Frank wondered if he and Jody shouldn't just talk to Barry and Tommy about some sort of official arrangement.

But in the meantime, Robbie was still his boy, and his boy was hurting. And it just so happened that Frank had something to contribute. He moved forward to where Robbie was, still hugging Tommy, and put his hand on the boy's head.

"I want you to talk to your Aunt Gail," Frank told Robbie softly. "She'll know what to tell you. She was the same way."

Robbie pulled out of Tommy's arms, sniffling. "What do you mean?" he asked Frank.

"I mean, she used to know things too, just like you do," Frank said, going to the fridge. "Only, in her case, she could usually only tell stuff about people if she touched them, first. I don't think she can do that anymore, though." He took a can of Coke out of the fridge and then grinned. "Which is probably a good thing; otherwise, we'd all know way more about Uncle Cas than we should," Frank quipped. He and Tommy laughed, while Robbie just looked confused.

"Sorry, kiddo," Frank said. He brought his soda back to the table and sat down in the chair that Robbie had vacated.

"Dad, you're silly," Robbie remarked. He wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt, and Frank felt another stab to the heart. He remembered the day that he'd had to tell the boy that his mother was dead, when Frank had told Robbie that tissues were for wusses. That was what sleeves were for. And ever since that day, whenever Robbie shed a few tears, he emulated what Frank had shown him that day. Now it was Frank who felt like he wanted to cry. His boy was starting to grow up, and they were growing apart.

"Hey, that's my job, kid, that's what I do," Frank replied automatically, pulling Robbie onto his lap. "In fact, I'm - " he struck a pose " - Super Sillious!"

Tommy laughed again. God, Frank was funny. He'd been a little concerned that Gail's brother might be hurt that Robbie had come to Tommy instead of Frank, but if Frank did feel that way, he was obviously hiding it, thinking primarily about Robbie's welfare. A true role model.

"Dad," Robbie said, shaking his head. "You're so immature."

Both Frank and Tommy laughed this time. "Guilty as charged," Frank said. He looked down at the table. "Another story?"

"Yeah," Robbie said. He picked it up and clutched it close to his chest.

Another stab. "Can I read it?" Frank said hopefully.

"Nawww, it's not very good," Robbie said. He was squirming in Frank's arms now. "I wanna go play video games. Is Riley back yet?"

"I don't think so, but you can go check," Frank told him. He loosened his hold on the boy. As if sensing Frank's mood, Robbie put his arms around Frank's neck and gave him a big, smacking kiss on the cheek. Then the boy hopped off his lap and ran out of the room.

"Damn kid," Frank said gruffly, his voice choked with emotion.

Tommy was uncomfortable now. He shifted in his chair, talking another pull on his beer. "I'm sorry, Frank. You know how kids are, sometimes."

"Yeah, I know," Frank said in a subdued tone. He was looking thoughtful now.

"Frank?" Tommy said. Maybe he was emboldened by the beer he was drinking, or maybe it was because he was tired to the point of exhaustion. "Elephant."

Frank looked at him sharply. "How do you know about the elephant?"

Tommy shook his head slowly. "We've known you and Gail for a long time now, Frank."

Gail's brother sighed. "I'll tell you what. Why don't we leave the elephant in his cage until Lucifer's back in HIS? Then we'll all sit down and have a nice, long chat. OK?"

"OK, Frank," Tommy said, nodding. "OK."

Frank opened his mouth as if he were going to say something else. Then he thought better of it and stood, leaving the room.

Castiel was frozen in shock.

"Hello, Brother," Gabriel said.

"You're dead," Cas blurted out.

"Apparently, I didn't get that memo," Gabriel said cheerfully. "It would appear that the reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated. Or, some kind of cliche crap like that."

"So you know each other, then?" the General asked them.

"A real Einstein, this one," Gabriel said, smirking. "Let me guess. He figured you could talk me into cooperating."

"That's right," Cas said, smiling.

"Well then, by all means, let's talk," Gabriel said happily. He looked at Adrian. "Take that junk off them. They'll behave themselves, I promise."

"I don't think I'm prepared to do that," Adrian said.

Gabriel shrugged. "Oh, well. Then I don't think I'm prepared to cooperate."

Adrian sighed. He motioned for the MPs to remove the cuffs and chains from Cas and Gail. Once they were freed, Cas flexed his arms, and then he wound up and punched the MP who had cuffed Gail. "That's for hurting my wife," he said. The other MPs took their weapons off their shoulders, but Cas ignored them, and after a moment, they realized the futility of what they were doing and stood down.

Gabriel was grinning. "Your wife?!" he said, raising an eyebrow. "I AM out of the loop."

Cas turned to the General. "Leave us," he said shortly.

Adrian looked at him curiously. Then he motioned to the MPs. "We'll be right outside," he said. The men exited the cell, and Adrian locked the door.

Gabriel was looking at Cas with a fond expression. Then he extended his arms. "Come on, Brother. Bring it in."

The two men embraced as Gail stared at them, astonished. She could tell that this man was an Angel, but she couldn't remember any other Angel ever greeting Cas so warmly before. She was happy to see that, for a change.

Gabriel came out of the hug, and he was looking at her now. "Gail," she said to him, extending her hand. Gabriel took it in both of his. "Pleased to meet you, my dear," he said, rather formally. Then an impish grin flashed across his face. "Soooo...Castiel's wife, huh? Now THAT'S a ceremony I would have loved to have seen. Did you take the ancient vows?"

"Nope," she said pertly.

He smiled broadly. "Good. Good for you. I always thought that was bogus, anyway. Women being obedient and subservient? What the hell kind of Middle Ages crap is that, and what fun would that be? In fact, I hope you give Castiel a run for his money sometimes. He needs to get that stick out of his butt." He gave her a wink.

Gail laughed merrily. She couldn't help it. "I still don't know who you are, but I like you," she said.

"You don't know who I am?" he said, surprised. "Cas didn't tell you about the Archangels?"

Gail's smile faltered. "The Archangels?" she echoed, puzzled. "You're an Archangel?"

Gabriel gave Cas a disapproving look. "What do you two talk about at night?" Gabriel asked him. Cas avoided his gaze, and Gabriel smirked again. "Ohhhh, I get it. Never mind. Attaboy, Cas. It's not as if you didn't wait long enough. Damn, and I had four thousand years in the pool, too." He turned back to Gail. "Yep. I'm an Archangel. And no, not all of us are dead. Not all of us are dicks, either. Although, to be fair, most of us are."

Gail laughed again, and then she clapped a hand over her mouth. She didn't know if she should be showing him more respect, maybe. Should she bow, or something? She asked him this now, and Gabriel laughed until tears came to his eyes.

"Oh, I like this one, Cas," Gabriel said, clapping Cas on the shoulder. "Excellent choice." He looked at Gail and said, "But, where are my manners? Come and sit down." He grabbed her hand and led her over to the bed. He sat her down. Cas moved to sit beside her, but Gabriel elbowed him out of the way. "Rank has its privileges," he quipped. He sat down beside Gail on the bed as Cas drew up a chair, sitting on Gail's other side.

"I'm sorry," Gail said to Gabriel. "I just didn't expect to ever meet an Archangel again. Especially not such a nice one."

Gabriel was smiling. "OK, now you're just flattering me. Please, feel free to continue." His forehead wrinkled. "What other Archangel did you meet?" he asked her curiously.

Cas and Gail looked at each other, and Gail made a face. On second thought, maybe she shouldn't have said anything. Cas and Gabriel seemed like they had a cordial relationship, but still...

Suddenly, Cas said, "Is there a security camera in here?"

"Of course there is," the Archangel replied. He nodded at the ceiling. "I hope they're entertained by what they see. As soon as I realized what it was, I spent one whole day making funny faces and armpit noises, and the entire night giving them the one-finger salute. Then, they turned out the lights on me."

Gail was looking at Gabriel with a bemused expression. She couldn't believe this guy was an Archangel. They were Heaven's elite, the most powerful Angels there were. But his demeanour was so entirely different than that of any other high-ranking Angel she'd ever met.

"Just a minute," Cas said to Gabriel. He looked around the room, thinking for a moment. Then he snapped his fingers. He stood and leaned down, removing the pillowcase from the pillow on the bed. He wrapped it around his hand and then dragged his chair across the floor to underneath the spot where the security camera was, higher up on the wall. Then Cas stood on the chair. He could just reach the camera. He lined up his shot, then bashed the camera's lens with his fist several times, averting his head to avoid the shards of glass that fell. Then he grabbed hold of the wires and yanked on them, hard.

He got off the chair and brought it back to where Gabriel and Gail were sitting, then unwound the pillowcase from his hand and tossed it on the floor, covering the broken glass.

"Sorry," Cas said to Gabriel, his lips twitching. "Make sure you get Housekeeping to take care of that."

Gabriel gaped at him, astonished. Then he began to grin. "Is it possible? Has the Angel Castiel finally developed a sense of humour?" He looked at Gail. "Is this your doing?" he asked her.

She shrugged. "Not really. Cas was always funny; he just wasn't really given the freedom to express that side of himself before."

Gabriel was highly amused. That must be true love talking. There had been very little that had been funny about Castiel for all those years, not until he was assigned to Earth and began assimilating. Gabriel had been on his case for untold millennia to lighten up.

"Dean and Sam seem surprised when I am humorous, as well," Cas said now, "even though I continue to assure them that I'm quite funny."

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "So you're still hanging around with those gun-toting, flannel-shirted mother-lovers, are you?"

Cas frowned. "I'll thank you not to talk about Sam and Dean like that. They're like my brothers."

"Well, guess what, Cas?" Gabriel said tartly. "I actually AM your Brother."

"And so is Lucifer, technically," Cas shot back. "Make your point."

"Geez, don't get your Calvins in a knot," Gabriel said, rolling his eyes again. He looked at Gail. "Is he this prickly at home?"

She gave him a thin smile. "I'm afraid we're both going to be prickly, if you're insulting Sam and Dean. They're like brothers to me, too."

Gabriel sighed. "Fine," he said shortly. "I guess Castiel got you to drink the Winchester Kool-Aid as a wedding toast."

"I don't care for that expression," Cas said angrily.

"Whatever, Cas. What do you want from me?" Gabriel said irritably. "You know there's a history there."

There was a tense silence between them for a moment. Then Gabriel heaved another sigh, and he looked at Gail. "So, spill. What other Archangel did you meet?"

Gail looked at Cas, making a face once again. She was kind of hoping he had forgotten that she'd said that. Did they want to get into the tribunal with Gabriel? Was he friend, or foe? With the warm way he had greeted Cas initially, she'd thought she knew. But now, she wasn't so sure. The moment that Sam and Dean had been mentioned, Gabriel's attitude seemed to have cooled considerably.

"It's all right, my love," Cas said to her, frowning. He looked at Gabriel. "When our Father retired, he offered me the job. I didn't take it, but subsequent circumstances forced me through the tribunal process, anyway."

"Tribunal?" Gabriel asked curiously. "They're still doing that?"

"Well, they were, at the time," Cas said dryly. "Anyway, one of the witnesses for the prosecution was our old friend, Raphael. He bullied Gail, and we had words."

Gabriel chuffed a breath. "Raffy. That figures. Sorry, Gail. I hope you know he doesn't speak for all of us. He always did have a real superiority complex." He smirked. "It's enough for me to know that I'm superior to everyone else; I don't have to lord it over people."

Gail looked at him, uncertain of how to react. Was he joking? Raphael sure hadn't been.

Gabriel tilted his head. "Ummm...I'm joking. Well, mostly."

She let out a breath, relieved. "Oh, thank God," she said.

"Speaking of which," Gabriel said, "who's in the High Office now?"

"Who's to say that I"M not?" Castiel said, with a touch of irritation.

Gabriel laughed shortly. "Didn't you just say that they subjected you to a tribunal? If that's the case, I'm surprised you're even still alive."

Gail looked at Gabriel sharply, but unbelievably, Cas smiled. "It's a long story. But, to answer your question, no one is in the High Office right now. That's just one of the things we'll have to work out once we get Lucifer back in the cage. But now, I have some questions for you. Firstly, what are you doing here, and secondly, why are you still here?"

"Mine's a long story, too," Gabriel said, frowning. "What do you know about the murders in Heaven?"

Cas's eyes widened. "Of whom?" he said.

"So, not much, then," Gabriel said dryly. "Let's just say that Lucifer isn't the only bad egg out there. I was deep, deep under cover, because everyone thought I was dead and I wanted to keep it that way until I could figure out what was going on, and why it was going on."

"Then, why couldn't I sense you?" Castiel said, puzzled.

"Because I was warded up the yin-yang," Gabriel replied calmly. "Only God himself or another Archangel would be able to find me. And, guess what? One did."

Cas was startled. "Another Archangel? Who?"

"Raguel."

Gail was shocked to see the blood drain from Cas's face. "I thought..." He swallowed, hard.

"You thought he was a myth," Gabriel finished for him. "And you know what, Cas? So did I. At least, I was hoping that he was. But he found me, and he kicked my ass six ways from Sunday. Then he told me that Lucifer was about to be set free to start Armageddon, and Raguel wanted to pave the way for him to do it, so he could hopefully lay waste to a number of God's favourites. Including you, Castiel, and Sam and Dean, and Bobby. Then he told me he'd sent an inside man to kill Matthew in Heaven, and make it look like a suicide. Then the guy went rogue and killed Jason, too. Something about an old grudge from back in the day, when you guys were fighting the Angel Wars. Anyway, Raguel told me he was going to deep-six the strongest Angels, the ones that could be the biggest threats to him. Like me. And you. Oh, and Crowley. Raguel was laughing about that. Said he freed Crowley's mother from the Netherworld just so she could screw with him. But he left Luke alive, because Luke was no threat."

Cas was angry now. What the hell was Gabriel even talking about? "Threat? Threat to whom? To what?" he asked impatiently.

"To him, I guess," Gabriel said, shrugging. "I wasn't really in any position to interrogate him. I tried to fight back, but he beat me stupid and then he dumped me here. Then those soldiers attacked me, and I used that last of my juice to try to fend them off. But then they grabbed me and chained me up with that same crap they had on you. Can you imagine? Sigils working on an Archangel. Because I was so done in, they actually worked on me. How embarrassing. I was tempted to turn in my membership to the VIP club."

"But, then what? What about when you'd had time to recharge?" Cas asked.

Gabriel was staring at him. "I never got the chance. About an hour after I got here, some military guy came into this cell and cut my throat."

Gail gasped, and the Archangel took her hand and gave it a brief squeeze. "Sorry, Kitten," he said to her. "I didn't mean to be so blunt. The guy took about half of my Grace, and part of my essence, and put it in a test tube. He took my mojo, Cas, and I've been trapped here ever since."

Gail's head was spinning. This was unbelievable. She'd never even heard of Gabriel, probably because everyone had thought that he was dead, when the poor guy had just been locked up here this whole time. No wonder he seemed a little loopy. Or maybe he'd always been that way. She would have to ask Cas later. And the things he was saying? Where did she even start?

So, being who she was, she looked at Gabriel and said: "'Kitten'?" He burst out laughing, putting his arm around her. "Oh, I REALLY like this one, Castiel," Gabriel said, grinning.

Part of Cas was pleased by the Archangel's endorsement of his mate. Gabriel had always been different, just as Cas himself had always been, and Cas had been taught to respect his superiors. But another part of him was starting to get a little annoyed. Gabriel had a bit of a reputation with the ladies.

But there were a lot of other things to think about, now. Gabriel's existence here on Earth could be a game-changer, in a lot of ways. Cas's head was also spinning. The Rom fortune teller had said that Matthew was murdered, and it was also enlightening to find out that it was the Archangel Raguel who was responsible for Jason's having been in Purgatory, and for Rowena being here on Earth. More corroboration that the Demon period had never happened, which was always comforting to hear.

But it was extremely disturbing to receive confirmation that the Archangel Raguel was not just the stuff of legend. Raguel had been the Angel equivalent of the human boogeyman for as long as Cas could remember. He was reportedly a bitter, hateful Angel who was apparently more powerful than the others, and his name was whispered in the cubicles and the quiet corners of Heaven in the same manner as the evil wizard in Gail and Cas's book series. Fearfully and furtively, as though uttering the name out loud would make him appear, somehow. Castiel was unsure whether the younger Angels were aware of the legends surrounding Raguel, but all of the longer-serving Angels would know. And now, to find out that he was not only very real, but that he had been behind all of those nefarious things? Cas was scared, but his anger was also starting to build. Archangel or no, how dare he? How dare Raguel think that he could do all of those things with impunity?

Gabriel was still smiling. "I recognize that look," he said, regarding Cas's face. "You're getting angry. That's fantastic. I've never known anybody more badass than you when you're mad. We can use that. But first, we've got to get my essence back. Then I'll be able to bust us out of here."

Cas was thoughtful. "I wonder how we're going to do that. The sigils they have here are clearly strong enough to render both Gail and myself powerless. I could try fighting those men, but there are a lot of them, and they have a lot of weapons."

Gabriel's forehead wrinkled. "So what? They can use as many bullets as they want. They can't hurt us."

"Maybe not, but they could hurt Sam and Dean plenty," Gail pointed out.

Gabriel looked at her with his mouth open. "Don't tell me...you brought the Terrible Twins here?"

"Yes, and they're being held prisoner here, somewhere underground," Cas said angrily. "The General claimed they would not be harmed, if we cooperate. But he can hardly be trusted."

Gabriel's shoulders sagged. "Great."

"If only we had some sort of a weapon," Cas said, tight-lipped with frustration. He was looking around the room, wondering if there was anything in it he could use.

Suddenly, Gail's eyes flew wide open. She could have smacked herself right in the face. "We do," she told the men. "My blade's still in my pocket!"

Cas's mouth fell open. "That's right," he said, astonished. He had forgotten. "They took mine, but they didn't take yours, did they?"

"That's because they didn't know I had one," Gail replied, starting to smile. "The guy that was supposed to frisk me barely touched me."

Gabriel was grinning now. "Then that guy's an idiot," he said, looking her up and down. "For several reasons," he added with a comic leer. He put his arms around her, hugging her. "What a clever little kitten you are," he told her.

Cas was frowning again. "All right, let's go. I'll go to the door and tell them we're ready to do a deal. When they come in, I'll hold Gail's blade to the General's throat and get them to take us to Sam and Dean. Then, once we free them, we'll get your essence back, Gabriel. Then we'll get the Tablet and get out of here."

Gail disengaged herself from Gabriel's embrace. She knew he was just being flirtatious, but Cas was looking very unhappy now. She stood up from the bed and reached into her pocket, giving Cas her blade. He slipped his arm around her waist as if to reclaim her, and then he pulled her to him and kissed her. "Stay behind us," Cas directed her. "We may have to fight our way out of here, and even though their bullets can't harm us, they do hurt." He smiled grimly.

"Ain't that the truth," Gabriel said, hopping off the bed. He was happy that Castiel was here. Once his Brother got wound up, he was capable of kicking a lot of ass. That was one reason Gabriel had been so demonstrative with Gail. He'd known that would piss his Brother off. Gabriel knew Castiel very well. Cas was a very intense guy; he always had been. He'd spent aeons ignoring the pleasures of the flesh, waiting for his One True Love. Now he had finally found her, and he had obviously gone all in. Well, good for him. Far be it from Gabriel. But that didn't mean he was above needling his Brother a bit. That was just Gabriel's way.

When the military men entered the cell, Adrian was the first one in. Cas grabbed him from behind and held the knife to his throat. The MPs unshouldered their weapons, and Gabriel pushed Gail behind him.

"You will lead us to our friends, or I will cut the General's throat," Cas growled. "Now, give me back my knife."

"You can't do that," one of the young soldiers said. "And, we can't do THAT."

Gabriel was smirking at him. The guy looked scared green. "Why can't he do that?" he said sardonically. "You bastards did it to me." He held out his hand. "Give it here." The MP looked at him. "The knife, Forrest Gump," Gabriel said. His voice was dripping with sarcasm now. "Give it back." The young soldier glanced at Adrian, and then he reached into his pocket and gave Cas's blade to the Archangel.

"The only difference is, if I do it to your General, he will die," Cas said grimly. "Let's go. NOW!"

"Do as he says," Adrian said in a strangled voice. Damn it. Where the hell had this guy gotten the other knife? "And put those guns down," he added irritably. "They're not going to work on these...beings."

They all walked through a series of corridors. Cas kept a tight grip on the General while darting his eyes around, watching for any kind of attack. But the soldiers remained docile, reluctant to see their commanding officer's life being threatened.

They arrived at another door in a different corridor. Adrian nodded, and an MP unlocked the door and opened it. Dean came barreling out, and his eyes grew wide as he saw Gabriel.

"Oh, no," Dean said, groaning. "No way."

"It's nice to see you too, handsome," Gabriel said dryly. "Where's Gigantor?"

The MP had unlocked the door across the hall, and Sam emerged from that room. He took one look at Gabriel and then pretended as if he was going to retreat back into the room.

"I know, right?" Dean said to his brother.

"Let's renew old acquaintances later," Cas said tersely. "Take their weapons," he instructed the brothers. Sam and Dean disarmed the MPs. After giving Gabriel a dirty look, Dean gave him a gun, and then handed another one to Gail.

"And now, we're going to get what was taken from my Brother," Cas told the men.

Adrian's forehead wrinkled. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

Cas gritted his teeth. "I'm talking about one of your men, cutting his throat," he seethed, "just as I'm going to cut yours, if I have to ask you again."

"I don't know anything about that," Adrian said, stricken. "I didn't give that order."

"I did," General Sizemore said. He was walking down the corridor towards the group. "And, the answer is no. We're not going to give it back. We're testing the substance in the lab."

"Really?" Gabriel said sarcastically. "Well, when you do, can you check it for the clap? The girl said she was clean, but you know how it is."

Oh, God. Gail could feel the laugh building up in her. She sputtered, putting her free hand over her mouth to keep it in.

Gabriel glanced at her. He was really going to enjoy making Gail's acquaintance. She obviously appreciated great wit when she heard it.

General Sizemore frowned. He didn't want to re-arm their subject with his powers. But he didn't really see a choice right now. The man who was holding the knife to Adrian's throat was holding it so close that he could see the indent of the blade in Adrian's neck. He sighed and turned around, going back down the hall in the opposite direction. The group followed him around the corner to the laboratory. General Sizemore took the sample out of the fridge. Gabriel strode over to him and grabbed the test tube from his hand, then uncorked it and inhaled its contents.

He shook his head vigorously. "Cold," he remarked. Then he extended his arm and used his powers to lift General Sizemore off the ground. "Next time, if you want some of my bodily fluids, just ask," Gabriel said, smirking, "though I can't promise which kind you'll get." He flicked a finger, and Sizemore went flying across the room, crashing into a cart that held glass beakers. The sound of broken glass echoed throughout the laboratory, and the General yelled in pain.

Gabriel was still smirking. "Now, THAT had to hurt," he said. "Just like getting your throat cut does!" he shouted.

Then he looked at Cas. "You can put the knife down," the Archangel told him, flexing his hand. "I can take care of all these guys now. In fact, let's line them up. I haven't bowled in quite a while."

Cas released Adrian. "Where's the Tablet?" he demanded of the General.

Adrian sighed. There was no sense in being stubborn at this point. Now that their former captive had his powers back, he could easily kill them all. "It's in my office," he told Cas. "If you will let my men go, I'll take you to it."

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. "I don't think you're in any position to dictate terms to us."

"We will all go there," Cas said shortly. He didn't want the soldiers to go off somewhere and get reinforcements. Gabriel should be able to handle pretty much anything, now that he was at full strength again. However, Cas didn't want to take any chances with Sam and Dean's safety. The sooner they could get the Tablet and get out of here, the better.

They all walked to Adrian's office. It was locked, of course, but placed his palm on the reader beside the door, and then the door swung open. Adrian walked over to the cabinet behind his desk and opened the doors, revealing the Tablet.

"We don't have the case," Sam said. "They took it from us when they locked us up."

"No problemo, Senor," Gabriel said. He crooked his finger, and the Tablet flew out of the cabinet. He caught it neatly. "Archangel," he said to the others, with a thin smile. Then he turned to Cas. "Let's blow this joint. Take my hand, Brother. We can all take a ride on my rocket." He gave Gail a comic leer. "Metaphorically speaking, of course."

They all linked hands and he popped them out of the base.

"Bobby! How are you doing? Long time, no see!" Gabriel said delightedly.

They were all at the bunker now. Gabriel had accompanied Dean to the safe, and Dean got out another case for it. Luckily, they had a couple of spares. The Archangel put it in the case for Dean, and the elder Winchester locked it away.

Gabriel had looked around the library area appreciatively. "Nice digs, boys," he remarked. "Beats the hell out of all those cheap-ass motel rooms."

And then he'd seen Bobby, who was looking equal parts shocked and annoyed.

Cas introduced Gabriel around. Frank stuck out his hand for a shake. "Nice to meet you, 'Paul'," he said.

Gabriel was puzzled. "Paul?" he asked.

"Yeah, it was a movie about..." Frank started to say. Then he checked himself. "Oh, hey, sorry. You probably have no idea what I'm talking about."

But Gabriel was smiling now. "Oh, yeah. Sure. Paul. The movie. Little alien guy. That was actually pretty funny."

"Oh, man, not another one," Jody moaned. "Please, don't encourage him."

Gabriel took her hand in both of his and raised it to his lips, kissing it. "And you are...?" he asked her.

"Too old to fall for that crap," Jody shot back, taking her hand away.

Gabriel threw his head back and laughed. "I really do like the ladies around here," he remarked. He gave Gail a wink. "It's about time the women got the upper hand. It's common knowledge that you're all much smarter than we are." Then he looked at Frank. "And who are you?"

"I'm Gail's brother Frank," Frank replied.

"Gail's brother?!" Gabriel exclaimed happily. "Well then, you're my brother, too." He leered at Gail. "And, we're a very incestuous family," he added, putting his arm around her waist.

"That's enough," Cas said sharply. "I know you like to joke around, but you need to stop, now. Gail is my wife, and Jody is Frank's."

"I like you, Gabriel, but Cas is right. You need to back it off just a bit," Gail said, pushing him away gently.

He looked a little taken aback by that, but then his expression softened. "OK, Kitten," he said with a smile, giving her a small bow. "Is it at least all right if I call you that?"

Gail answered his smile. "I think I'd be upset now if you didn't," she responded.

Cas took Gail's hand, leading her away from Gabriel, to their usual seats at the library table. Gabriel smirked and sat down across from them. He looked at Dean. "How about a little libation, there, sport?" Gabriel asked him.

Dean scowled. "What do you want?" he asked the Archangel.

Gabriel gestured towards Gail. "I'll have what she's having," he said, raising an eyebrow and grinning.

Now, Cas was angry. "All right, that's it!" he exclaimed, slamming his hand down on the table.

"Come on, Brother, I'm only flirting," Gabriel said, shrugging.

"No, you're being an ass, and we have more serious things to talk about," Castiel retorted. "I need to know if you know where Lucifer is, or if you can sense him."

"Nope," Gabriel replied. "He's shielded to me. Oh, and before you ask, the answer is no."

"What do you mean, no?" Cas said, his voice rising. "Why not?"

"Hold up," Bobby said. "What was the damn question?"

Gabriel looked at him. "Castiel wants to know if I'll help him kill Lucifer," he replied, "and I told him my answer is no. Do you want that again in sign language, or Esperanto?"

Bobby scowled. He'd forgotten what a sarcastic son of a bitch Gabriel could be sometimes. All of those Archangels were. They thought they were better than everybody else, and that nobody should ever question them about anything.

"There's no need for sarcasm," Cas said in a cool tone. "So, what you are telling me is that you will not stand with us against Lucifer?"

"It's not like that, Cas," Gabriel said, shifting uncomfortably in his chair.

"Then why don't you tell me what it's like?" Cas said. He was glaring at Gabriel now. He should have figured as much. Some things never changed.

"I'm not you, Cas. I'm no killer," Gabriel replied. "I don't have it in me. I could have snapped my fingers and obliterated all of those bastards back at the military base, but I didn't."

"Well, aren't you noble," Bobby said, and now, his voice was heavy with sarcasm. "Meanwhile, you're an Archangel, the most powerful Angel we have on our side, and you're telling us you won't lift a finger to help us?"

"You don't need me. You've got those Tablets now," Gabriel said. His tone was more subdued now.

"You're a coward," Cas told him.

Gabriel gave him a thin smile. "You're just figuring that out now?"

Cas threw his hands up in frustration. "You told us you fought Raguel!"

"Yeah, and I told you how badly he beat me, too," Gabriel shot back.

"Raguel?" Frank blurted out. "Who's that? Sounds like a spaghetti sauce."

"Or a buxom female movie star," Chuck piped up. Gabriel threw him a glare, and Chuck stopped smiling. Hey, an Archangel was an Archangel.

"He's another Archangel," Gabriel told them after a moment. "The Angel of Friday."

"The end of the work week?" Frank said, smiling. Maybe Chuck was going to be intimidated by this guy, but Frank was not. "He must be a party guy, then."

"Noooo," Gabriel said, shaking his head vigorously. "Whoever it is that assigns these things had it backwards. I'm the Angel of Monday. Start of the work week. The day that everybody hates. What the hell? I should be the Angel of Friday. I'm the funniest Angel. But, no. It's got to be Raguel. He's a bitter, angry son of a bitch, and he's got a vendetta against all of us."

"So what else is new?" Frank said skeptically. "Who doesn't? What makes this guy any different from any of those other douchebags?"

Gabriel was frustrated now. They just didn't get it. "You're a movie fan, right?" he said to Frank. "Think of the bad guy from No Country For Old Men. Now, imagine that he and Darth Vader got it on, and had a love child. Then, imagine Raguel coming along and kicking THAT guy's ass. He's serious, he's mean, and he has no discernible sense of humour. Sort of like your brother-in-law, there," Gabriel added with a smirk, nodding towards Castiel.

Gail rolled her eyes, but before she had the chance to speak, Frank asked Gabriel, "What day of the week is Cas?"

"Thursday," Gabriel replied shortly. "A nothing day. Every other day has a personality, but Thursday? It's just a nothing day."

"You need to stop," Riley said suddenly.

Everyone swiveled their heads to look at the young Angel. He had been sitting on the living room couch, watching in awe as the others sat and conversed with an actual Archangel. The humans were even drinking with him. Riley had been too intimidated to move. He'd hardly even been able to breathe.

But now, he'd had it. First of all, Gabriel was hitting on Gail. Then he'd told Castiel that he wouldn't stand with them and fight Lucifer, even though he had more power in his little finger than a host of Angels had in their entire bodies. But now he was insulting Castiel, the bravest, most badass Angel that Heaven had ever had, and Castiel was saying nothing, likely out of respect. But if he wouldn't, then Riley would.

"Quit insulting Castiel!" Riley exclaimed.

Gabriel's eyes narrowed, and his arm started to move. Gail stood, and quickly moved in-between Gabriel and Riley. "Don't you dare," she hissed at Gabriel.

"What?" he asked her. "I was just scratching an itch." He flexed his arm, then scratched his neck.

Gail continued to stare at him for a moment, and then she moved around the table, standing next to where Gabriel sat. "You lied to me," she said to him.

"Gail..." Cas said warningly.

Gabriel stood from his chair and looked down at her. "And how did I do that?" he asked her in a soft voice.

"You said Archangels weren't all dicks," Gail retorted.

"I could smite you with a wave of my pinky finger," Gabriel told her.

"Well then, I guess you'd better do it, because I'm not going to sit here and listen to you talk about my husband that way," she shot back.

"Gail, please," Cas said miserably. "Please, don't. It's not important."

"Yes, it is," she insisted, staring Gabriel down.

The Archangel's eyes flashed for a moment, but Gail stood her ground, and then his expression softened. "Don't ever change, Kitten," Gabriel said. He leaned down and kissed her gently on the forehead, and then he snapped his fingers and winked out of the bunker.


	3. Mary Had A Baby

Chapter 3 - Mary Had A Baby

A week after Gabriel had left the bunker, Cas and Gail were at the local mall. Christmas was approaching fast, and she was starting to stress out about it.

Nothing further had been heard from Lucifer, and she and Cas had decided to go ahead with their plans for the happy family Christmas. It had been a very hard year, and they felt as if everyone deserved one purely joyous occasion. If they had to, they could spring into action at a moment's notice. But each of them had been praying every day, appealing to their Father to please, please let them have their Christmas. Please. And so far, things had been quiet.

Cas was being very stoic. Gail was rushing around to all of the stores, buying present after present. Then she would load him down with boxes and bags, and when he was so weighed down that he couldn't possibly carry one more thing, he would go into a men's room and into a stall, and pop it all home. He would unload all of the stuff into the living room area, and then pop back over to the mall, where the process would be repeated, again and again.

Finally, Gail consulted the list she'd been carrying in her pocket, running her finger up and down. There. Now they had everything she'd written down on the list. She looked up at Cas. "Done."

He started to smile with relief.

Then she flipped the list over to the other side. "Now, it's off to the supermarket."

Cas nearly groaned out loud, but he restrained himself at the last moment. He'd made a promise to himself. Anything she wanted. Gail might be rushing around right now, acting stressed, but he could see the light shining in her eyes. They were both extremely excited about having everyone over for Christmas. Gail was insisting that everything had to be just perfect, but Cas already knew that it would be, because they would all be together.

They needed this very badly. It felt like they were on the precipice of the beginning of the end, one way or the other. They had the final Tablet now, but they also knew that one more item would be required in order to pull it all together somehow. As soon as their Christmas celebration was done, they were going to have to go back to Quinn's and talk to Linda, to see if Luke had given her any clues on what or where this mysterious item could be.

But because they were so close to the end, Lucifer would be wild now. He had tried in various ways to divert or distract them from their mission, with varying degrees of success. But now that they were so close, Castiel was expecting an all-out attack of some sort.

And that was why he wanted this so much. Two days of love and laughter and fellowship before Armageddon was loosed upon humanity was just what they all needed, and quite frankly, it was what they all deserved. So he smiled down at Gail and said, "Let's go grocery shopping."

Gail had already filled two shopping carts, and she didn't even have the turkey yet.

"Crap," she said. She was standing in front of the Meats section looking at the turkeys. "I have no idea how big of a turkey to get." She started ticking off guests on her fingers. "Let's see. There's Sam and Dean, Frank and Jody, Bobby, Chuck, Tommy and Barry, Robbie, Kevin, Ethan, Riley, and Becky. And you and me, of course. Oh, and Nicole's coming for Christmas dinner. So that's...sixteen." She sighed. "So... what? I still have no idea."

"I'm sorry, my love, but neither do I," Cas said, shrugging. "Maybe we should get one that's sixteen pounds, then. A pound for each of us. That seems like plenty, does it not?"

She looked at him doubtfully, and then she looked back at the turkeys, shrugging. "Sure, I guess so," she replied. Then she smiled. "I guess it's kind of dumb, having two people who don't eat in charge of shopping for the food. But we're going to eat, and we're going to stuff ourselves. I don't care if I have to get liposuction afterwards. I remember how wonderful Christmas dinner can be. She might be a scary, impolite ghost now, but Frank's mom could put together a pretty good holiday meal." She grabbed one of the larger turkeys and hefted it on top of the pile in one of the carts. "There. Decision made."

Cas was frowning now. Gail touched his face. "I'm sorry, sweetie," she said. "I promise, no unhappy subjects from now until after Christmas. There'll be plenty of time to talk about our dysfunctional families then." She knew that Cas had been brooding about Gabriel, ever since the Archangel had popped out of the bunker that day. But he'd said very little, probably because they'd agreed to table the more serious topics until after Christmas.

"Okie-dokie, I think we've got the groceries pretty well covered," Gail said in a chipper tone. She moved closer to him, lowering her voice. "Could you pop back to our place and get the car? I think that might be a more efficient way to do this."

Cas nodded. "I'll be right back." He gestured to their carts. "Will you be all right to do all of this yourself, in the meantime?"

She smiled. "Sure, Cas." He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. She was smiling, but she was starting to look anxious again. So the sooner they got this all done, the better.

"Well, at least we're almost finished," he told her, matching her cheerful tone.

"Oh no, we're not," she responded. "We've still got to go to the liquor store, and the bakery. And then, once we put all the groceries away, we've got to get wrapping paper, and wrap all of the presents. There's still so much to do."

"OK, my darling," Cas said soothingly. "Don't worry. We'll get it all done."

Gail took a deep breath. He was right, of course. She'd better calm down.

"I'll be right back," Cas repeated. Then he walked out of the store, praying to their Father to grant him the patience he would need to get through this day.

It was Christmas Eve Day, and everyone was arriving now. Except for Nicole. She had decided at the last minute to fly to Ottawa to spend a few days with her grandfather. He was the only living relative she had left, she'd told Dean, and the more she'd thought about it, the more she thought that she should make an effort to see the old guy. But, if it was all right with Cas and Gail, if one of them could pop over to Ottawa Christmas afternoon sometime, she would be happy to join them all for dinner. Dean had been a little worried that she'd be skittish after he'd told her he loved her after they'd spoken on the phone that day. But if she was, she hadn't let on, though she hadn't said it back to him, either. But at least she was willing to come, and he was happy about that.

Sam hadn't spoken to Quinn since that day. He'd been thinking about calling her, but he thought she might need a little space. He and Quinn weren't nearly as close as Dean and Nicole were, so Sam thought that Quinn might benefit from a little break in contact. Besides, Cas and Gail had told Sam that the first thing they planned to do after the Christmas holiday was to go to see her. He was planning on tagging along, and he'd see what the temperature was, then.

But for now, the Christmas festivities were about to begin, and everyone was very excited. Cas and Gail had worked non-stop, and the house looked great. Gail had changed her mind about the tree. She'd wanted everyone to get the full effect when they walked in, so she and Cas had put up the tree and decorated it themselves. He had also gotten some outdoor lights and strung them all around the roof of the house, and on the tree they had in their front yard. Then he had come back inside and helped her finish decorating the tree in the living room.

"Can you help me with the star for the top?" she'd asked him. "No way I can reach that high."

He had smiled. "I wonder how long it's going to be before someone makes the inevitable joke about one of us sitting on top of the tree."

Gail laughed. "Let the pool begin. I predict less than one minute, after Frank and Dean get here." She took the star out of the box.

"Allow me," Cas said, still smiling. She held it out to him, thinking he was going to take it and put it on top of the tree. But instead, he picked her up and lifted her up to the treetop. She laughed and put the star on the branch, and then he lowered her slowly to the floor.

She turned around to look at him. "OK, that's it, I'm never using a step-stool again," she said, smiling. "I'm just going to get you to do that, all the time. In fact, I think I'll move everything in the kitchen to a higher shelf."

Cas smiled, too. "I love you, Gail," he said impulsively. "I just wanted to tell you how wonderful you're making everything."

"Let's see if you feel that same way after you're helping me wrap about a million presents," she teased him.

"I can assure you that I will," Cas told her, "because that means that we have a lot of loved ones, and that you love them enough to want to make them very happy."

"Well, maybe I went a little overboard," Gail admitted, "but this is our first Christmas ever, together with everyone, and I just want to make sure it's special."

"Of course it will be special," Cas said softly. "And it's also special because it's our first real Christmas together, too. That other Christmas, the horrible, horrible one, never even happened." Tears sprang to his eyes. "And that is the greatest gift of all."

"You're right, sweetie," Gail said. She touched his face. "Now stop that, or you're going to make me cry too, and we still have so much to do."

"We've got time," he assured her. "We'll get it all done, don't you worry. But, I think you need to take a break, now. You've been working so hard. Come here." He took her hands in his and led her over to the couch, sitting her down.

"Cas, I don't have time for a rest right now," she protested.

"No?" he said lightly. He drew her to him and kissed her on the mouth. "Are you sure?" he asked her.

"Well, OK, maybe just for a minute," Gail said, smiling. Then he kissed her again, using his tongue this time. "Maybe an hour or so, then," she breathed. "I HAVE been working really hard."

Cas lowered her onto the couch cushions and began to remove her clothes. "I love you-ooo," she said, smiling again. His hand had slipped into her pants, and her body was reacting to what he was doing with his fingers now. He undid his pants and a minute later, he was inside of her, and they were moving together, whispering terms of endearment into each other's ears. A couple of minutes later, he moved down to make love to her with his lips and his tongue, and then after a brief rest, he gently flipped her around and made love to her from behind.

"I love you so much," he said into her ear, giving it a lick.

"I love you more," she moaned, smiling.

"I disagree," Cas said, pushing forward. "And that is the only thing I will ever disagree with you about." His hands were caressing her body, and when she wiggled her hips, he groaned loudly. Then he whispered her name into her ear, and then he was done.

He held her close for a moment, and then he helped to turn her back over. They had a fleece blanket draped over the back of the couch, and he grabbed it and put it over them.

"There now, don't you feel more relaxed?" Cas asked her, kissing her face. "Wasn't that a good break?"

"Oh, yes," Gail said, caressing him underneath the blanket. "That was a wonderful break. Screw coffee," she added mischievously.

Cas laughed softly. "You are the cutest person I have ever seen," he said, still kissing her face. "I don't think I tell you that enough."

"No, you don't, and what's up with that?" she joked. She poked her hand out of the blanket and touched his lips with her fingers. He kissed her hand, then licked it delicately.

"Oh, now, don't start that again, or we're going to have to postpone Christmas," Gail quipped.

Cas smiled. "Well, I guess we don't want to do that. But, that is the only reason I'm going to stop, right now."

"And, believe me, it's the only reason I'm asking you to," Gail said, nodding vigorously.

So they had reluctantly gotten up and gotten dressed, continuing with their Christmas preparations. And now, the big day was finally here: Christmas Eve. Gail had told everyone to come over as early as they wanted. She had a bar set up on a table at one end of the dining room, and plates and bowls full of snacks placed strategically all throughout the living room.

Sam and Dean were the first to arrive, and they'd brought Barry and Tommy with them in the Impala.

"I hope we're not too early," Sam said to Cas. He jerked his head towards Dean. "Might be that somebody was too excited to wait any longer."

"No, of course you're not too early," Gail sang out. It was mid-morning, but she was extremely pleased to see them. "I did say to come as early as you wanted." She kissed and hugged each man as he came through the front hallway into the living room area. "In fact, it's to your advantage," Gail continued. "You'll get first dibs at brunch, then."

Dean perked up. "Brunch?" he echoed.

"Yeah," she said, smiling. "Early Bird Special. Come through to the dining room." She grabbed Dean's hand and led him to the table. There were plates piled up there, with bundles of cutlery wrapped in napkins.

Dean looked at her, smirking. "Uh...I know you've been an Angel for a while now, but shouldn't there be some food on the plates?"

Gail rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Prepare for shock and awe," she told him.

Cas came out from the kitchen with a platter of bacon, ham and sausages. Then Gail came back with a bowl of scrambled eggs. Then Cas came back in, with a plate stacked high with pancakes. Gail followed with another plate that held Eggs Benedict, and a bottle of syrup for the pancakes.

"I've got hash browns coming in a minute," Gail said. "Come on, load up, boys." She looked at Cas. "Can you bring the coffee and the O.J. out?" she asked him.

Dean was staring at her, open-mouthed. "Cas, I might have to propose to your wife," Dean said, rolling his eyes comically. "How do you feel about being a bigamist?"

"Isn't that an Italian fog?" Frank wisecracked.

Gail wheeled around. "When did you get here? Or, more accurately, how did you get in?"

Frank was smirking. "The Angel of the Lord left the front door open."

"That's OK, I pity the fool who tries to break in here the next couple of days, with all of us here," Jody said. She gave Cas a hug and a kiss on the cheek, then grabbed a plate, butting in front of Dean.

"Hey!" he objected.

Jody shrugged. "You snooze, you lose, Winchester."

Robbie came running into the room. "Dad! Come and see the tree!" he yelled excitedly. "There's about a million presents under it!" He grabbed Frank's hand, tugging at him.

"Tree? There can't be a tree," Frank said with a wicked grin. "Your Uncle Cas and your Aunt Gail are both right here. Who'd be sitting on top of it?"

Gail mimed looking at a stopwatch. "Time!" she called out, smiling at Cas. "Damn, I wish I'd started that pool! I would've won, for sure."

"Merry Christmas, Dear," Bobby said from behind Gail. She turned around and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Merry Christmas, Bobby. Grab a plate and help yourself," she told him, gesturing to the table. "Come on, everybody. Eat up!"

Bobby elbowed Dean aside and started to load up his plate. "Hey!" Dean protested again. "Everybody quit butting in front of me! There isn't gonna be any food left!"

"Oh, there will be," Cas told him. "Gail bought up half of the supermarket."

Then the Angels started to arrive, and Cas spent half of his time greeting everyone and conferring appetites on them, and the other half moving back and forth from the kitchen with condiments and platters of fresh food. All of the Angels were eating now, too.

"Oh my God, this is so good," Riley enthused, going back for seconds. "Oops, maybe I shouldn't say that at Christmas."

"What, that the food is good?" Kevin quipped.

"It's OK, I say 'oh my God' all the time," Gail assured him. "I don't think our Father would mind. I do say it very reverently," she concluded mischievously.

"So do most of the women who say that, when I'm with them," Dean quipped, and Gail laughed. He'd come back to the table for another helping, and he had a bottle of beer in his other hand.

He looked at Gail looking at him. "I hope you're not going to get all judge-y on me," he said to her.

"No," she said quickly. "Knock yourself out. 'Tis the season, and all that stuff. In fact, I think I'll join you. I think I'm going to have a mimosa."

"Cas!" Dean called out. "Gail's flirting with me again! We're gonna be engaged in a minute, if she keeps it up!"

Cas came out of the kitchen with a fresh pitcher of orange juice in one hand and a bottle of champagne in the other. "Just make sure you get him to sign a pre-nuptial agreement," he said to Gail, smiling slowly.

"OK now, THAT is officially the funniest thing you have ever said," Dean said to Cas, impressed by his wit.

"Yeah, it looks like Gail got him a sense of humour for Christmas," Frank wisecracked.

Gail was staring at Cas. Not only did she agree with the guys about the joke he'd made, but she was astounded that she'd just mentioned her desire to have a mimosa, and here her husband was, holding the ingredients for one. She said this to Cas now, and he smiled, pouring her a drink.

"As your husband, it's my job to anticipate your wishes, and then fulfill them," Cas responded.

Frank frowned. "No, that can't be right," he said quickly.

Jody came into the room carrying dirty dishes. "Sounds right to me," she said, smirking. "Make sure you educate Frank on that entire philosophy, will you, Cas?"

Frank groaned. "Thanks a lot, Cas."

"Actually, Cas, I was going to ask you something," Jody said. "Robbie's already flipping out, and we haven't even given him any chocolate yet. Is it OK if one of you pops Frank back over to the bunker to get the gaming system? Maybe he'll calm down if we let him do that for a couple of hours."

"Hey, great. We can have a rematch," Dean enthused, nudging Cas. "I think your championship is a little bit sketchy, if you wanna know the truth."

Cas was smiling. "Don't ask ME if it's all right, ask Gail. It's up to her."

"Does that mean she's the boss?" Dean asked.

"Of course she is," Cas answered, shrugging. "Whatever she says, goes."

Gail was smiling widely. "I'm the boss," she teased Dean. "Cool."

"You're not the boss of me," he retorted.

"This Christmas, I am," she shot back. "So if you want any turkey tomorrow, when I give an order, you'd better hop to."

"Ma'am, yes, Ma'am," Dean said, snapping off a salute.

"I thought we weren't supposed to call her that," Riley said, puzzled. He was carrying a load of dirty dishes, too. "Where can I put these?"

"Bring them into the kitchen," Gail replied. "You too, Jody. I'm going to load up the dishwasher, and then I'll wash up the pots and put everything away."

"I'll take you to the bunker, Frank," Cas said. He kissed Gail on the forehead. "We'll be right back."

Cas and Frank popped over to the bunker and Frank moved over to the living room area to get the video game equipment.

"Just a moment, Frank. I'll be right with you," Cas said. He exited the library area and walked down the hallway. Frank stared after him, puzzled. Then he shrugged and resumed what he'd been doing.

Cas came back a few minutes later, his arms loaded with presents. Frank looked at him quizzically. "They're for Gail," Cas told his brother-in-law. "I was hiding them in Barry and Tommy's room."

Frank smiled. "Way to go, Cas." He threw the video game equipment in a bag. "Ready?"

"Can you do me a favour, Frank?" Cas asked. He nodded towards the table in the library area. "Can you bring those?" He was indicating the golden candlesticks. They still sat together on one end of the table. Because Cas and Gail were hardly ever home and their human friends were all staying here, they had decided to leave both candlesticks here for the time being. But Cas wanted them on his and Gail's dining room table for Christmas dinner, and he also figured it couldn't hurt to transfer the extra protection they provided to their house for the next couple of days.

Frank grabbed the candlesticks and put them in the bag, and then he looked at Cas. "You'll have to take my arm, Frank," the Angel said, smiling. Frank did, and they popped back to the house.

While Frank was setting up the video game system, Cas put the presents under the tree. Everyone else was congregated in the living room too, talking and laughing. Gail was going back and forth from the dining room to the kitchen, cleaning up after brunch. Cas asked her if she wanted him to help, but she shooed him away.

"You have a championship to defend," she told him with a smile. "You'd better study the game a bit more. Between you and me, I get the feeling your title was kind of a fluke."

Cas smiled, leaning down closer to her. "Actually, so do I," he admitted. "But, what about you? Aren't you going to play?"

"Of course I am," she told him. "I just want to clean up a bit, first."

Then Barry came into the dining room and he grabbed Gail from behind, giving her a hug. "I'll help you," he said. "We can gossip." He smiled at Cas. "They're clamouring for you in the living room, Cas. So, get lost. Let Gail's work husband help her with the work."

Cas laughed. He remembered when the three of them used to joke like that at the casino. He clapped Barry on the shoulder. "I'm so glad that you and Tommy are here," Cas told their friend. Then he left the room as Gail and Barry began to clean up.

"I can't tell you how happy I am that you're all here," Gail said to Barry as they went into the kitchen.

Barry put the dishes on the counter and turned to her. "And I can't tell you how happy I am that we're all still alive, to even be here. If that sentence makes any sense," he replied. "You and Cas, Sam and Dean, your brother and Jody. All of you. Even my Tommy, recently. You're all heroes, Gail. The sacrifices you make...and now, this wonderful Christmas celebration..." He was tearing up, his voice choked with emotion. "Oh my God, I'm such a stereotype," Barry said in a shaky voice, trying to smile.

"No, you're not," Gail said. She raised an eyebrow to him. "Now, Wyatt? HE'S a stereotype."

Barry laughed out loud as Gail took another sip of her mimosa. Then she added, "Tommy definitely traded up."

He grinned. "Between you and me, I think he did, too."

"Hey, grab a drink," Gail told him. "Get drunk with me. I want to soften you up a bit before I persuade you to help me out with the turkey tomorrow. Whoops." She put her hand over her mouth. "I wasn't supposed to tell you that, yet. Maybe I'm already drunk, myself. I know you take care of all the meals at the bunker and you'd probably love a day off, but I have no clue what I'm doing here, Barry. I tried looking it up online, but it's too confusing."

"Of course I'll help you," Barry said, looking at her fondly. "I was going to offer to, anyway. There's no way I'd be able to just sit there and watch you try to cope with something like that and not offer to help. You're my friend, Gail."

"Thanks, Barry. It's too bad my blade doesn't cook things, too," she quipped.

Barry poured himself a mimosa, then he held his glass out in a toasting gesture. "Merry Christmas, Gail."

She smiled and touched her glass to his. "Merry Christmas, Barry."

Meanwhile, the video game tournament was about to commence. Kevin had taken over Gail's previous system of putting everyone's name in a bowl and pairing them off.

"The first two competitors are: Barry and Becky," Kevin announced. He glanced at Becky. He still felt a little weird being in the same room as her, but he was getting over it. Besides, there was so much going on here that he and Becky probably wouldn't even be talking all that much. Cas and Gail had made everybody feel really welcome. Kevin had a coke and a bowlful of potato chips next to him, and he was having a great time. He'd thought he was going to be sad and alone this Christmas without his Mom and without a girlfriend, but now, he was with his family, being included in all the fun. He'd even noticed that there were presents for all of them under the tree, even for the Angels.

"Let me go and get him," Cas said. He stood from the couch. "He's in the kitchen with his work wife." He smiled at Tommy. "We'd better split those two up, Tommy. They're probably flirting way too much in there, anyway."

Cas left the living room as Sam and Dean and Bobby looked at each other in astonishment. This was a Cas they had never seen before. Happy, relaxed, and funny. It was a shame they couldn't see him like this more often.

Cas came back with Barry and Gail in tow. "I'll try, but I've never actually played the game before," Barry said good-naturedly.

"Tough noogies. Everybody plays," Gail said. Cas led her by the hand to sit beside him on the couch, where she squeezed in-between him and Dean.

"'Tough noogies'?" Dean said to her.

"It's an expression, Dean. Get over it," Gail said. She put her glass on the coffee table.

"The only noogies I know of are these," he said. Suddenly, he grabbed Gail in a headlock and ruffled her hair.

"Cas!" she exclaimed. "Dean is being mean to me!"

"That's all right, I'll be blowing him up soon," Cas said affably.

Dean released Gail and grabbed his beer bottle from the coffee table. "Hey," he said to her, gesturing with the bottle. Gail grabbed her glass and clinked it against his bottle. "Merry Christmas, Mrs. Castiel, or whatever the hell your last name is," Dean said with a smile.

She pretended to pout. "Aww, does that mean the marriage proposal is off the table?"

They both laughed, and so did Cas. "We'll see how the tournament goes," Cas said. He leaned back against the couch cushions, smiling. "Once I kill Dean multiple times, the point will be rendered moot."

Gail laughed, and she snuggled up against her husband. She had never seen him quite like this before, either, and she really liked him this way. Hopefully, there would be more occasions for him to relax in the future.

Becky hadn't really been crazy about playing the stupid video game, but she was just so happy to have been invited that she didn't want to rock the boat by saying so. Like Kevin, she had been sure that she was doomed to spend a boring and depressing Christmas all by herself. But when Cas and Gail had extended the invitation to come for Christmas, Becky had been over the moon.

So she took a controller, and Barry took the other controller, and they played for the allotted time. As they were both inexperienced, there was very little success on either of their parts, but Becky somehow managed to shoot Barry's character, and when he shot back, she mashed the buttons on the controller and miraculously, her character crouched, and the shot missed.

At the end of the time limit, Kevin announced Becky as the winner.

"Good game," Barry said to her, and some of the guys averted their heads so he wouldn't see them smirking. That might very well have been the most pathetic game they'd ever seen.

"Do you want your job back?" Kevin asked Gail, gesturing with the bowl.

"Absolutely not," she told him happily. "Carry on, young Kevin. You're doing a bang-up job."

Kevin picked two more names. "Bobby and Sam."

Bobby rolled his eyes. Sam was grinning. "This should be a piece of cake," the younger Winchester said.

But when they started to play, Bobby surprised him. Bobby shot Sam, then he blew him up, and when Sam tried to retaliate, Bobby's character ran around the corner and crouched down.

Sam looked at their friend, eyebrows raised. Bobby shrugged. "You've been on the road and I've been sitting around with my feet up on a buncha pillows," he said mildly. "Maybe I played a bit."

At the end of the allotted time, Sam was the victor, but only barely. "Way to go, Bobby," he said, impressed.

Bobby smiled thinly. "Come Easter, I'll be kicking all your butts."

"Hey, I just thought of something," Gail said. She sat up straight and counted heads. "Fifteen," she said. "We have an uneven number."

"Give Cas a 'bye for the first round," Sam said, snagging a handful of nuts from the dish on the table next to his chair. "He's the champion, right? Then you can mix him in for the next round."

"Good one, Sam," Kevin said, nodding appreciatively. They exchanged glances, and Sam was happy to see Kevin smiling at him. That was the first time that Kevin had looked at him with anything but a guarded, suspicious expression since Gadreel had killed poor Kevin, using Sam's body to do it. Hopefully, they were turning the page on that now.

Kevin went back to the bowl. "Dean and Chuck."

Dean smirked. "Sorry, Chuck. You're gonna be joining Barry and Bobby at the self-pity table in about five minutes."

Chuck said nothing. He'd been practicing too, but after that first time he had played against Robbie, he'd found that his hand-eye coordination wasn't very good, and he knew it. He fought valiantly, but in the end, Dean was the inevitable winner.

"Good game, Chuck. You've really improved," Dean said. Chuck looked at him, waiting for the sarcasm. But there was none. Gail leaned over and gave Dean a kiss on the cheek. She wanted to show that she appreciated that. Hopefully, they were turning the corner on their attitude towards Chuck, too, or maybe Dean had just caught the Christmas spirit. Whatever the case was, she would take it.

Back to the bowl. "Ethan and Frank."

Frank grinned. "You're going down, Copper. You'll never take me alive."

"That's kind of the idea, Frank," Ethan replied, quite logically. Ethan actually had mixed feelings about being here. On the one hand, he didn't really feel as if he deserved to be in the bosom of a happy, loving family. He'd gotten his own family killed by taking Lucifer's dirty deal, and the guilt gnawed at him constantly. Cas had advised that Karen and George were likely in the Garden, waiting to ascend, so he supposed he should be consoled by that thought. But it seemed to him that they were the ones who had been doing the suffering, while he was the one who should be suffering in their stead. Cas and Gail and the others had been almost Saintly in their willingness to forgive Ethan for his mistake. Whether Karen would feel the same way remained to be seen. But Ethan had determined that he would not be the one to bring down the party this Christmas. The last thing he wanted to do was to ruin everyone's good time. So he grabbed a controller and played.

Frank won the round, and he looked down at Robbie, who was sitting on the floor beside the coffee table. Robbie was drinking a soda pop, and he took a handful of chocolates from a bowl that Gail had placed there. Jody was watching the boy, and so was Tommy. They'd agreed that they would loosen up on his sugar intake for Christmas, but Frank wanted to make sure that the kid didn't get too carried away.

"Yayy, Dad!" Robbie exclaimed, and he turned around to give Frank a high-five. You just bought yourself another handful of candy, kiddo, Frank thought to himself, grinning.

"Gail and Jody," Kevin said, and Dean and Frank looked at each other and yelled, "Girl fight!"

Gail and Jody were smiling at each other, shaking their heads. "Wow," Gail said. "The immaturity level in this room just skyrocketed."

"Which is really saying something, considering how high that level was in the first place," Jody agreed, grabbing the controller from Frank. "I hope you don't mind if I annihilate your sister."

"Hey!" Gail exclaimed. "Who says that it won't be the other way around?"

"Let the side bets commence," Frank said. "Hey, Cas, how much you wanna bet that my wife beats your wife?"

"I'll bet you all the money in the world," Cas said mildly. "I have every confidence that Gail will prevail."

Gail didn't, but she was determined not to embarrass herself. It was just a silly video game, but somewhat irrationally, she still didn't want to let Cas down. So she and Jody played, and Gail won, but just barely.

"I'll expect your cheque, immediately after the holidays," Cas said to Frank, and everyone laughed.

"Me and Riley," Kevin announced.

Riley won their round, and then there were only Tommy and Robbie left. Robbie had been very patient while waiting for his turn, but he'd had several handfuls of candy by now, and he was overly excited. Normally, Robbie would have been able to run circles around Tommy, but the sugar and the excitement were combining now, causing him to make some poor choices. When Tommy realized what was going on, he started backing off a bit, making his character a little easier to shoot without being too obvious about it. At the end of the time period, Robbie was the winner on points.

Jody gave Tommy an appreciative smile. She'd realized what he was doing, of course. He gave her a subtle shrug. It was just a game, and Robbie was so happy. He was running around the living room, high-fiving everybody. While Robbie was doing that, Frank grabbed the bowl of candy and handed it to Sam, who put it on the table beside him. Any more sugar, and they'd be peeling Robbie off the ceiling.

The names went back in the bowl. "Becky and Cas," Kevin said.

Becky threw up her hands, but secretly, she was glad. Now Cas could just beat her, and then she wouldn't have to play the stupid thing any more. So even though Cas deliberately went a bit easier on Becky, he beat her handily. She sat back in her chair, relieved, and took a sip of soda, glancing Sam's way. He saw her looking at him but pretended that he didn't. Sam had been a little taken aback when he'd seen Becky arrive with the other Angels. She wasn't exactly close to anyone in their group. He supposed Cas and Gail hadn't had the heart to leave her behind, not when the others had all been invited. And Sam felt the same way as Kevin did about the subject; there were so many of them here, and so much interaction between all of them, that he didn't think it would be a problem.

"Hey, we still have an uneven number," Gail pointed out.

Riley said, "I'll drop out." He shrugged, smiling. "I get to play this game all the time at the bunker, anyway. I actually thought I would have a beer and just watch, if that's OK."

Bobby was eyeing him. "How old are you, Riley?"

Riley was a little surprised by the question. "Isn't that sort of...irrelevant? I mean, when you think about it?"

They all looked at each other. "You know, he's got a point there, Bobby," Sam remarked.

Kevin started to smile. "Hey, does that mean I can have a beer, too?"

Dean was smirking. "Ask Gail. She's the boss."

Gail glared at him. Thanks, Dean. On the one hand, she wasn't anybody's mother. But, on the other hand, did she really want to be the one who was encouraging young Angels to get drunk at Christmastime?

She waved her hand. "For the next couple of days, our house is your house. If you young guys want a drink, have a drink. But if anybody gets too drunk, we'll just have Cas bounce you. You've all seen him fight, right?"

"Yes, Ma - " Riley started to say, and then he swallowed. "I mean, yes, Gail."

She grinned. "OK, Kevin, give the bowl over here, then. This is a serious tournament; we don't need a drunk commissioner running things."

"You're drinking," Dean pointed out.

"Keep it up, Winchester, and you'll be getting a tofu turkey for Christmas," Gail retorted.

"I've always wanted to try that. It's supposed to be a lot like the real thing," Sam enthused.

Dean gave him a baleful glare. "You know, it's times like these that I wonder if you and I are even related, Sammy."

"Maybe you're not," Frank said, poking him. "Maybe Sam came from the same place as Gail."

"Yeah, the Nerd Factory," Dean joked. "Maybe YOU'RE actually my brother."

Gail was rolling her eyes. She dug into the bowl that Kevin had handed over when he and Riley had gone to the kitchen to get beers for themselves. "Dean versus Frank," she announced.

"You're going down, 'brother'," Frank said gleefully.

"No, you are," Dean said, reaching for the controller.

"Boy, does your trash talk need work," Riley said. He and Kevin were returning from the kitchen now, each carrying a beer.

Frank looked at Gail. "See what happens? Now, these guys are going to be juvenile delinquents."

"We're in our 20s, Frank," Kevin pointed out.

"Hey, less talking, more shooting," Dean said, nudging Frank.

"Go," Gail said, and the two of them started to play, catcalling and jostling each other as the others in the room all smiled, rolling their eyes.

"Time!" Gail called. Dean had won, by the narrowest of margins.

"That's OK, Dad. You tried your best," Robbie said to Frank. "That's the most important thing."

"Whoever told you that?" Frank asked the boy.

"Somebody who lost, obviously," Sam wisecracked. "Meanwhile, I hate to tell you this, Gail, but your numbers are still off. There's only you and me and Robbie left, now."

Gail counted heads. "Oh, geez, you're right," she told him. Then she looked at Kevin. "I told you it wasn't a good idea to have a drunk commissioner. I guess I'm proof of that," she quipped. She thought for a moment. "As the youngest person in the room, Robbie gets a 'bye."

Frank grinned. "Seems only fair, since the oldest one got a 'bye in the first round," he said, looking at Cas.

"Let's go, Sammy," Gail said, grabbing the controller from Dean.

Frank passed Sam the controller he'd been using. "I'll go easy on you," Sam told her, grinning.

"Fine. Go right ahead," she said, shrugging. "I don't care how I win, as long as I win."

Whether Sam went easy on her or not was unclear, but when the time was up, Gail had won. She put the controller down on the coffee table, finishing her drink. "I feel a dance of joy coming on," she said.

"Not so fast," Cas said to her. "There's still Robbie, and myself."

"Okie-dokie," she said. She put her own name back in the bowl, and she held the bowl out to Dean. "You pick," she told him.

Dean reached his hand into the bowl. "Don't be Cas and Gail, don't be Cas and Gail," he said fervently.

"Why not, Dean?" Gail asked in an innocent tone.

He scowled. "Because neither of you is gonna want to shoot the other one. Because the last time you played each other, it was the most pathetic display of anything I've ever seen."

"Well, maybe we will shoot each other, this time," Gail told him. "It could happen."

Dean looked at her and Cas suspiciously, then he looked at the two pieces of paper he held in his hand. "Ohhh, man," he whined.

Gail and Cas smiled at each other. "Oh, good. I enjoy playing with my husband," Gail said with a sly grin.

"Try to behave yourself," Frank admonished her.

"What? I only said I like playing games with my husband," she said, wide-eyed.

Gail and Cas took a controller each, and she said, "Somebody, tell us when to go."

"Go," Frank said.

Gail moved her character close to Cas's. "Do you want to go for a walk?" she asked him.

"I'd love to," he said, moving his character closer to hers. "I wish there was a way we could hold hands."

"Oh my God, you guys are officially killing me," Dean fumed. He grabbed the controller out of Gail's hand and shot Cas's character. "There. Game over."

"Time's not up yet," Frank said.

"Every person alive knows that Cas isn't gonna lift a finger against her," Dean insisted. "Therefore, the game's over."

"Wait a minute," Cas protested. "My character hasn't respawned yet."

Dean heaved a sigh and sat back, waiting.

Cas's character respawned, and, when it did, he got up and moved towards Gail's character.

"You shot me," he said to her.

"Well, to be fair, it was actually Dean who shot you," she told him.

"Be that as it may, it wasn't very nice," Cas said softly.

Gail looked sidelong at him. He was staring at her now. Was he really going to shoot her character?

"Give me that back," Gail said to Dean, yanking the controller out of his hands.

"Let me know when you're ready," Cas said. "I'll wait. I don't want to be accused of ambushing you when you're not prepared. I want to be a gentleman about this."

Oh, crap. He was really going to do it. Gail didn't know why she was so nervous. It was just a game. She sighed. "OK, Cas. Do what you're going to do," she said, screwing up her face.

He made his character kneel. "What are you doing?" she asked him warily.

"I'm proposing to you," he said, smiling.

Dean stood. "Excuse me, while I go throw up," he said. He stalked out of the room.

"I guess you win, then," Frank said to his sister.

"Yes, I certainly do," she said, smiling at Cas. They put their controllers down on the coffee table and started to kiss.

"Awww, geez," Bobby said. "I'm going to the bar. Anybody else?"

"All of us," Frank said, rolling his eyes.

"Wait a minute!" Robbie exclaimed. "What about me?"

"Hey, that's right," Frank said. "You get to play your Aunt Gail for the championship!" He lifted the boy onto his lap. "And, just so you know, if you beat her, the rewards will be plentiful."

"I hate to tell you this, but he's playing his Uncle Cas," Gail said cheerfully. "I'm disqualified."

"What?" Dean said. He came back into the room carrying several beer bottles, which he put on the coffee table. "Why?"

"Because," she retorted. "You've gotta quit being so grabby, Dean."

"Words no woman has ever said to me," Dean quipped.

They laughed, then Gail said, "Okay, now. Big championship match: Robbie and Cas. Ten minutes, winner take all. This is for all the marbles."

"The tension is thick, ladies and gentlemen," Frank said. "A hush falls over the crowd."

"You guys are weird," Robbie said, rolling his eyes.

Cas and Robbie began to play. And the fix was in, of course. There was no way that Cas was going to beat a child at any kind of a game on Christmas Eve. But he was finding that Robbie was giving him a good contest, anyway. The score was very close.

"One minute left," Gail announced.

Cas began to back off a bit, and when the time was up, Robbie was the victor.

"All hail the Supreme Champion!" Frank exclaimed, raising Robbie's arm.

Cas leaned forward on the couch, extending his hand to Robbie for a shake. "I concede to your superior skill, sir," he said to the boy.

"Huh?" Robbie said, confused.

"Just shake his hand," Frank told the boy. "He's talking old-school, now."

"Way, way old school," Sam said, grinning. "Is that what you used to say to your jousting opponents?"

Cas was smiling now. "I don't know, Sam. I suppose that's what I would have said, if I had ever lost."

"So tell us, Cas, what was the first Christmas really like?" Frank asked his brother-in-law jokingly.

But no one was that surprised when Cas responded. "Quiet," he said thoughtfully. "Yet jubilant, in its own way. We all knew that something momentous was about to occur. I was out in the field with my flock when I saw the bright star in the sky. I will never forget how that felt. Glorious. Fearsome. Like everything we were familiar with was about to change." Exactly how it feels right now, he thought, but did not say.

Gail slipped her hand into his, and Cas looked at her warmly. Many things would change in their landscape in the years to come, but their love was something that would not, he was sure. Even during the deadly and dangerous time, the time they would have to be apart. It was just about going to kill him, but he knew now that it would have to be so. But Cas was making himself sad now, and this was supposed to be a joyous occasion.

Fortunately, there was Frank. "Man, are you old," he wisecracked.

"Hey, our mother's name was Mary," Sam said, raising his beer bottle to Dean. "Maybe you and I are Jesuses."

"'Jesuses'?" Dean said, rolling his eyes. "How drunk are you right now, Sammy?"

"It'd be pretty hard finding a virgin these days," Chuck remarked.

"It's be pretty hard finding one in this house," Frank quipped, smirking.

"What would really be hard is finding three wise men," Bobby chipped in. "Wise guys, on the other hand, we've got plenty of."

Everybody laughed, and Cas looked at them all gratefully. Their wonderfully irreverent and diverse family. He loved them all, so much.

"I have an idea," he said suddenly. "I was going to wait until tomorrow, but I'd like to do this now. Sam, do you see the present in front of the tree, beside your right foot?"

Sam leaned down. "'To Gail, Love, Cas'," he read from the tag. "This one?"

"Yes, Sam. Can you bring it over here, please?" Cas asked him. Sam did so, and Cas handed it to Gail. "Would you please open this now, my love?"

She smiled. "Sure, Cas. But, when did you get this? And where has it been all this time?" she asked him.

Cas shrugged. "I'm a mysterious, otherworldly being," he responded vaguely. But then he smiled, too. There was no way he could refrain from smiling when she looked at him that way.

Gail was amazed. She'd had him working non-stop on their Christmas preparations. When had he had the time to do this?

"Open it," Cas prompted her.

She touched his face with both hands. "Thank you, sweetie," she said.

"Wait till you open it to thank him," Frank joked. "It might just be a bunch of socks, or something."

"If it's frankincense, or myrrh, get the receipt," Sam quipped, "but if it's gold, keep it."

Gail tore at the paper, then she smiled more widely. "Cas, that's wonderful! Look!" she said, showing everyone. It was the complete set of DVD movies that were based on the books about the boy wizard they loved so much.

"I thought we might watch the first couple this afternoon," Cas said. "We all like to watch movies, and they're suitable for all ages."

"Boy wizards? Really?" Dean groaned.

"Give it a chance, Dean," Sam said earnestly. "You might actually like it." He was looking forward to seeing them, himself. He'd read the book series, of course, and he'd seen the first movie a while back. In his opinion, they would be the perfect kind of movies to watch right now. Light-hearted, family entertainment.

"Gail likes them," Cas said to Dean pointedly. "She's been working extremely hard to make a good Christmas for everyone."

Now Gail felt uncomfortable. "Come on, Cas. It was really sweet of you to get these for me, and we will be watching them, don't you worry. But I don't want anybody to feel like they have to watch them, if they don't want to."

"Ya know what?" Bobby piped up. "I'd like to see 'em, too. See what all the fuss is about."

"So would I," Frank said, nodding. "OK, show of hands: Who here wants to see them?"

Everybody raised their hands, and Dean shrugged. "I didn't say I didn't want to see them," he mumbled.

Cas unwrapped the first DVD and handed it to Sam to put it in the machine. Gail snuggled up to her husband and kissed him softly on the cheek. "Thanks, sweetie," she said. She was pleased that she was finally going to have the opportunity to see the movies through Cas's eyes.

It was fun for her to see the films again, and to watch everyone's reactions to them. Sam was captivated. He had forgotten how much he'd enjoyed the stories. He'd been older when they'd come out, so he hadn't had the chance to experience them as a boy. But he could definitely relate to the young boy in the story, insofar as living in a fantasy world, wanting something different for yourself. Sam looked at Gail at one point, noticing that she was looking at him, and he gave her a smile. Yes, both of them could definitely put themselves in the place of the young boy. Sam knew that Gail had grown up feeling the same way. Maybe that was what had drawn them to each other in the first place.

Dean was finding the whole thing a little far-fetched. Witches and wizards, walking around present-day London? Flying cars? He knew it was supposed to be from the fantasy genre, but it wasn't really Dean's thing. He kept watching anyway, though. Everybody else seemed to be enjoying it, so he kept his mouth shut. It could be a lot worse, especially at Cas and Gail's house. At least they weren't making him watch some kind of Notebook-Titanic crap.

Gail glanced at Dean, and he gave her a quick smile, tilting his beer bottle in her direction. Oh, well. You couldn't win them all, she thought. At least he wasn't whining about it.

Frank was enjoying the movies. He was a big kid at the best of times, and the sense of whimsy attached to the stories really appealed to him. He saw a little bit of himself in the boy wizard, too. It was almost like when Frank's Dad had first told him he'd been born into the Hunter legacy. He had been both freaked out and excited at the same time. Of course, in Frank's case, the path had been a lot bloodier, and way less magical. But even though the road had been bumpy and full of potholes, Frank was happy that it had led him here. He looked at Jody and Robbie, and then at Gail and Cas. What a fantastic Christmas this was turning out to be.

Gail's eyes prickled with unexpected tears when she looked at Frank. She saw him looking at his family, and then at her, and as they made eye contact, Gail thought of the Christmases they had spent together growing up. All that time, Frank had never treated her as anyone different, anything other than his sister. Even if they were tormenting each other, or quarrelling, as siblings sometimes did. But she recalled a lot of happy times with him, as well. His parents may have been distant with her, but Frank had never been that way towards her, and she appreciated him for that. He saw her looking at him, and he made a funny face. She smiled.

Robbie was glued to the TV screen. He remembered when he and his original Mom had first gotten to the bunker, Felicia had read aloud to him from the books that these movies were based on. His Dad had killed his Mom before they'd had a chance to finish the books, and then, he hadn't wanted to read the rest, because he was so sad about his Mom. But now, Robbie was thinking that he might want to start reading them again. Maybe he would ask his Aunt Gail if he could borrow hers; she was out of town a lot, anyway. He still hadn't decided if he was going to ask her about the stupid psychic thing, or not. He turned to look at her from his position on the floor in front of the TV, and Robbie was a little startled to see that she was looking right at him. Could she read his mind? No, that was crazy.

Gail saw Robbie looking at her, and he looked a little spooked, so she smiled at him. Frank had already given her the heads-up that Robbie might be looking to confide in her about his psychic abilities, but she doubted that the boy was going to approach her on this occasion. Too many people around, in relatively close quarters. But she had been looking at him for another reason. Gail had also remembered that Felicia used to read the books to Robbie, because Gail had been there at the time, recuperating from the injuries she had sustained from the panther's attack in the Secret Garden. She had been watching the boy watch the movies to gauge his reaction, because she had taken a leap of faith and bought him the book series for Christmas. And it looked to her as if she'd made the right call; Robbie was clearly enthralled by the films. She hoped that enough time had passed by now that Robbie would be more happy than sad to receive the books.

When they had nearly finished watching the second movie in the series, Sam looked at Dean. "So, what do you think now?" he asked his brother. "Ready to admit that they're good?"

"I don't know if I'd go that far," Dean replied. "I mean, they're OK, but they're a little...far-fetched, don't you think?"

Sam was amused. "They're far-fetched? We've battled Demons, Angels, and every kind of monster. We've both been to Hell, and we've all died, multiple times. Well, most of us have, anyway. We've travelled back in time, and we've seen alternate realities. And you think THIS is far-fetched?"

"Yeah," Dean replied, smirking now. "Like, who could ever believe that a girl could be that much smarter than all of those guys?"

BOOF! Gail grabbed the throw pillow on the other side of Cas and whacked Dean in the face with it, and everybody laughed.

"Oh, really?" she said to him. "Let this be a lesson to you, young Grasshopper. Never, never piss off a woman who's planning to feed you the feast of your life. You know, we have some of that packaged macaroni and cheese, if you'd prefer. Either that, or Cas could just pop you home. The ten different kinds of pie I got will just stretch further, then."

Dean looked at her, eyes wide. "Ten kinds of pie? You've gotta be kidding me."

"I can assure you she's not," Cas told him. "I had to make several trips home from the bakery, for the pies alone."

"I guess it WAS kind of dumb of me to get all of those pies," Gail said sarcastically, "if you're not going to be here to eat any of them."

"Uncle! I'll behave!" Dean exclaimed.

"Then say it, Dean," Gail teased him.

"Say what?" he asked her, puzzled.

"Girls rule, boys drool," Becky said suddenly.

Gail looked at her, surprised. "What she said," she replied, gesturing at Becky.

"Will everybody pipe down?" Bobby said irritably. "I wanna find out what happens next!"

Now Sam and Dean's lips were twitching. Who would have ever thought that Bobby, of all people, would get into these movies?

Cas had put his arms around Gail and cuddled her after she'd hit Dean with the pillow. This was exactly the type of Christmas he'd been hoping for. Everyone all together in one room, teasing each other. Loving each other. He was so happy. He'd been captivated by the movies too. But, like Gail, Cas had been looking surreptitiously at all their faces, and he saw only peace and contentment. He wanted to fix all of their faces in his mind, the way they were looking right now, for the tough times he knew would lie ahead. Sort of like taking out a photo album and flipping through the pages.

The second movie ended, and Gail said, "Do you think we've got time for one more, before dinner? Who wants to watch one more?"

"I do!" Robbie exclaimed. He jumped up and ran over to the couch. "Can we, Aunt Gail? Please?"

Gail's lips twitched. "Now, Robbie here is a perfect example of a smart boy," she said to Dean. "He knows who the boss is around here." She looked at Robbie. "Yes, we can," she told him. Cas handed Robbie the next disc, and the boy ran over to Sam with it in his hand.

Near the end of the third movie, Gail stirred. "I have to go and start dinner," she told Cas quietly. "You guys can go ahead and start the next one, if you like. I've seen them all before, anyway."

He gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "Do you need any help?" he asked her softly.

"No, Cas. You relax," she told him.

Sam stood. "I'll help you," he said to Gail. "We haven't cooked a meal together in... I can't remember the last time we cooked a meal together."

Gail thought about that. She couldn't, either. "You're on, Sam," he said, and they walked to the kitchen together.

An hour or so later, Gail asked Sam to let everybody know that dinner was ready. They all gathered around the dining room table as Cas dimmed the lights. He lit the candles he'd placed in the golden candlesticks as Sam and Gail began to bring out the platters of food.

"Chuck, could you bring out the bottles of wine I have sitting on the kitchen counter?" Gail asked their friend. He was the one who was sitting nearest to the kitchen. Gail continued, "Cas can open them while we bring the rest of the food out. I want to have a toast."

"Do you want me to save this seat?" Bobby asked her. He was sitting in the chair on the opposite side of the table as Cas. He had plunked his butt there because it was the nearest chair to the living room, and his arthritis was starting to act up from the cold. But now it occurred to him that he was probably sitting in her place at the table. "I can move," he offered.

Gail paused, placing her hands on his shoulders. "No, you stay there, Bobby," she said affably. "Besides, you've met us, right? I'll be sitting at the other end, right beside Cas. We'll probably want to hold hands during dinner."

Cas looked up, smiling. "'Probably'?" he said charmingly.

When everything was on the table, Gail asked everyone to pour themselves a drink of wine. Then, Cas stood from his chair.

"Gail and I want to thank you all for blessing our home with your presence," he told them, raising his glass. "Here's to good food, good fellowship, and happy times. We love you all. Merry Christmas." He took a sip of wine as everyone said, "Merry Christmas." They all toasted; even Robbie had a tiny sip of wine from a plastic cup, before Frank poured him a bit of soda.

"That was lovely, sweetie," Gail said to Cas as he sat down, taking her hand. "Please help yourselves, everybody," Gail said to them all. "And don't worry, there's lots."

Dean was already loading up his plate. "Geez, if we're gonna eat this well the whole time, I think we should make Christmas a week long, next year."

"I doubt that Cas and Gail could stand us here for that long," Sam said, grinning. He was spooning baby carrots onto his plate.

"Hold it," Bobby said sternly. "Stop everything. We're gonna clasp hands and pray."

Dean looked at him, startled. Then he looked at Cas and Gail uncertainly.

"Don't look at them," Bobby said sharply. "It's me who's talking to ya now, boy. Just because I'm a human don't mean I'm stupid. I'm not here to put a damper on anyone's good time, I'm just sayin': there's something in the wind. We all know that. Frank and Gail's Elephant is getting ready to bust out of its cage. So, before we all partake of this wonderful meal that our hosts have provided, we're all gonna clasp hands and pray together, first."

Bobby grabbed Chuck's hand to the left of him, and Barry's, to the right. Tommy was to Barry's right, and Sam was to Chuck's left. Dean was on Tommy's right, across the table from his brother. Robbie was on Sam's left. Jody was on Dean's right, and Frank was on Robbie's left. Becky was to Jody's right, and Ethan was beside Frank. Kevin had intended to sit between Ethan and Cas, but Riley had rushed over to that seat so that he could be sitting beside Cas, so Kevin had shrugged and taken the seat between Becky and Gail. He could suck it up for one meal. They all knew how Riley felt about Cas, so Kevin wasn't about to argue. Riley was over the moon to be sitting beside his hero at Cas's own dinner table. When Cas took Riley's hand for the prayer, Riley could feel the goodness and warmth emanating from Cas, and it comforted him. Bobby was right, and everyone at this table knew it: Lucifer was amassing an army, and they'd better be ready.

Robbie was getting some really strong feelings from Frank, as they held hands. His Dad was worried about Lucifer too, and what the Devil was planning to do to the humans on Earth. And he was also thinking about Robbie and Gail, and wondering how they were going to have the conversation they needed to have about the envelope that Robbie's Aunt Gail had in one of her dresser drawers, the envelope she had gotten from their old house in Denver.

"Heavenly Father, we humbly request that You bless everyone at this table, and keep them all safe," Cas said, bowing his head. "We are but Your humble servants, ready to do Your will."

"Thanks for all of the blessings we've received this year, and for letting us all be together like this," Gail added. "And if I could ask You for a teensy favour, Father? Please help us to look out after all of our loved ones, so we can have a lot more occasions like this." She smiled. "My mashed potatoes are getting cold, so, Amen."

Everyone at the table echoed, "Amen." Cas gave Gail's hand a squeeze as their family and friends began to help themselves to the food.

Once dinner was over, everyone started drifting back towards the living room. Jody caught Frank's arm. "Where do you think you're going?" she asked him.

"What are you talking about?" he asked her, puzzled.

"Dishes. Clean-up. You, Cas, Sam, and Dean. Now. Gail has worked hard enough today. Go," Jody ordered him.

Frank grinned. "You're sexy when you act like a cop," he told her. He leaned down and kissed her, then he put his arm around Gail's shoulders. "You heard the Officer," he said to his sister. "Go sit down."

Gail wasn't about to argue. Her lips twitched. "OK, but I think that Jody and I could use an after-dinner drink. Also, maybe some coffee needs to be made, for the pie we're going to have in a little while."

"I'll do that," Riley piped up. "Please have a seat, ladies."

Now, both Gail and Jody were smiling. "See? There's something to be said for the mentoring system," Gail quipped, looking from Riley to Cas and then back again. She blew Cas a kiss and then headed to the living room.

The men cleared the table and washed the dishes, as Riley put the coffee on. The young Angel marveled at the camaraderie between the quartet. He knew that Castiel and the Winchester brothers had known each other for a long time now, at least, by Earth standards. Frank was Cas's brother-in-law, and Sam and Dean treated Frank like another brother.

"Way to go on the movies, Cas," Sam said. "I'm looking forward to seeing more of them, after we finish up here."

"Yeah, OK, I have to admit: I thought they would be pretty lame, but they're not so bad, I guess," Dean admitted.

"The story is actually getting a little dark, now," Frank chipped in. "I like that."

"Yeah, you would," Sam said, grinning. "I looked up 'black humour' in the dictionary, and your picture was there."

"Don't let Paul hear you use an expression like that," Dean quipped.

Cas was smiling faintly at their banter, but that last rejoinder had given him pause. He wondered where Paul was, and what was going on.

"Cas! Hey, Cas! Get that plate out of your butt and give it here!" Dean said impatiently. He was standing at the sink with the sprayer in his hand. "You're holding up the line!"

Cas was startled out of his reverie. He handed the plate he was holding to Dean as Frank laughed. It was funny how Cas was this fearsome warrior with their enemies, yet he was so easygoing with his family and friends.

When they'd finished the cleanup and went back into the living room, Cas said, "Is everyone ready to resume?"

"Change of plans," Gail told him. "We've decided that everyone is going to get to open one present tonight. Then we'll have coffee and pie, and then we'll get back to watching the movies."

Cas was a little surprised, but he nodded his agreement.

"I'll bet I know who was behind that little idea," Frank said, grabbing Robbie around the waist. Frank sat down on the floor beside the Christmas tree, holding Robbie on his lap. "OK, let's find one here that's for you, kiddo," he said to the boy.

"Actually, since you're there anyway, you might as well be Santa's representative," Gail said to her brother. "In fact, you can do it every year, like you used to do at our house. We'll make it a tradition."

Frank paused in the act of rooting around underneath the tree and looked at her, smiling. "I'd like that," he said sincerely. He was happy to see that she'd retained at least some good memories of their growing up together. Based on their recent experience at the house, Frank realized that she was probably feeling very ambiguous about that whole subject.

"We'll get you a red hat with a poufy ball on top," Gail said, smiling slowly.

"Maybe one of those elf hats, with a jingle bell at the top of it," Jody chipped in.

"Now, that, I've gotta see," Dean said, smirking. "Pookie, the Elf. I already can't wait for next year."

"Because it's Christmas, I'm gonna let that slide," Frank said. "Here." He tossed Dean a present, maybe a little bit harder than he needed to. "For you, from me and Jody. Hopefully, it's not fragile."

"What do you mean, 'hopefully'?" Dean asked him. "If it's from you guys, wouldn't you know what it is?"

Frank shrugged. "Hey, I'm a guy. I don't shop."

"Cas does," Gail pointed out. "He and I went to the mall together, and he was there when I got every single present that's under that tree."

"So you know what everybody got?" Dean asked Cas. Cas nodded. "Yes, of course I do, Dean." Dean looked down at Robbie. "There you go, kid," Dean said to the boy. "Now you know who to suck up to."

Robbie was puzzled. "What do you mean, Uncle Dean?"

"I mean, if you can't wait till tomorrow, maybe you can pester your Uncle Cas for some hints," Dean responded.

"I can wait till tomorrow," Robbie said, shrugging. "Anticipation." The adults all smiled at each other. It was even possible that the boy meant it, too, although his eyes lit up when Frank handed him a gift. "From Aunt Gail and Uncle Cas," Frank told Robbie.

"Yayyy!" Robbie exclaimed, clutching the present to his chest.

"Don't get too excited," Chuck teased the boy. "It might be socks, or underwear. I got a lot of those kinds of presents when we were kids. We didn't have a lot of money, growing up."

"Oh, good. Then you won't be too disappointed with our present," Sam joked, as Frank passed a present to Sam to pass to Chuck. Sam tossed it to the Angel.

Cas looked at Robbie and winked. "Don't worry, it's not socks," he assured the boy.

"Yayyyyy!" Robbie yelled, and Frank winced. "Do you wanna yell in the other ear next time, so I'm equally deaf?" he admonished Robbie.

"Sorry, Dad, I'm just excited," Robbie said sheepishly, and the adults all smiled at each other again. There wasn't a much happier sight than an excited child at Christmastime.

In a few more minutes, everybody had a present on their lap, except for Barry. Frank said, "OK: ready, set, go!", and everyone started to open their gifts. Even Tommy had a present, and he tore at the paper, not looking at Barry. Tommy was trying not to smile now.

"Ummmm..." Barry said softly. No one was paying attention to him, though. They were all eagerly opening their gifts and admiring what everyone else got. Robbie tore the paper from his gift and discovered that it was two new video games. "Wow!" he said, wide-eyed. "Cool!" He squirmed out of Frank's lap and ran over to where Cas and Gail sat on the couch. He threw himself into Gail's arms and have her a big, smacking kiss on the cheek. "Thank you!" he exclaimed. Then he looked at Cas and extended his hand for a shake.

Cas smiled, but he shook his head, opening his arms instead. Robbie gave him a hug, then ran over to show the games to Riley.

Tommy opened his present from Frank and Jody, and he smiled. It was a boxed set of John Lennon CDs. "Thanks, you guys," he said to them. "Time to introduce Robbie to the classics."

"Who's that?" Robbie asked, curious.

"Nobody," Ethan said. "It's dinosaur music." Tommy raised his eyebrows, and Ethan smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, Tommy," he said quickly. "No offense."

"The only person here who would know about real dinosaur music is Cas," Frank wisecracked. "So what did they listen to, back then?"

"'Open the door, get on the floor, everybody walk the dinosaur'," Sam sang, grinning.

"The theme from Jurassic Park," Chuck piped up.

"Bang A Gong," Bobby said wittily. "Or anything by T-Rex, really." Most of his audience had blank looks, though Cas's lips twitched.

"Ummmm..." Barry said, a bit louder this time. But the banter was still flying around, and he was being ignored.

"Speaking of dinosaurs, what'd you get, Cas?" Dean said, smirking.

"He got a can of Whoop-Ass, and it's got your name on it," Gail said tartly, and everyone laughed.

Cas held it up. "It's a bottle of cologne, from Frank and Jody," he said, smiling. "Thank you, both."

Gail reached for it. "Can I see that for a second?" she asked him. Cas handed it to her, and Gail screwed the cap open, taking a sniff. She looked at Jody, startled. "Is this...?"

"Aramis," Jody confirmed, smiling.

"What's that?" Becky asked the women.

Gail smiled. "It's the sexiest cologne I've ever smelled on a man," she told Becky. "It's the cologne that Cas was wearing in Las Vegas, when we went on our first official date." She sighed happily. "As if I needed another excuse to want to be close to you," she said to Cas, taking his hand.

"So, let me get this straight: you guys deliberately went out and bought something that's gonna make Gail want to - " Bobby started to say. Then he remembered that there was a child present. " - hug and kiss him some more?" he finished.

Frank shrugged, grinning. "Hey, you can't fight City Hall."

Bobby threw up his hands in mock frustration as Cas smiled. He remembered that night very well, and he was pleased that Gail did too, even down to the detail of the cologne that he'd been wearing. It was very sweet of her. "I'll look forward to putting it on for you very soon," Cas said to his wife, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

Oh, there were so many things she wanted to say now, but Gail also remembered that there was a child in the room, so she settled for: "I'll look forward to that, too."

"Ummm, guys," Barry said, more loudly. "I hate to be a whiner, but, I didn't get a gift."

Tommy glanced at Cas. "You didn't?" Cas said, feigning surprise. "But I gave Tommy your present to give to you earlier."

Tommy snapped his fingers. "I forgot to put it under the tree," he said. "I've still got it...somewhere..." He patted his pockets. "Oh, here it is."

He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out the ring box, then he knelt on the floor in front of Barry.

"I loved you from the moment I met you," Tommy said, taking Barry's hand. "And even though we've had our ups and downs, I never stopped loving you, Barry. Thank you for not giving up on me while I was working on myself, trying to become the kind of guy that you deserve. So, on this Christmas Eve, in front of our true family, I need to ask you: Will you marry me?"

Tears welled up in Gail's eyes as Barry started to cry. "Yes, I will, Tommy," he said softly. "I love you, too. You're all I ever wanted."

Tommy smiled. He opened the ring box and took the ring out with trembling hands. Barry extended his hand and Tommy slid the engagement ring onto his finger.

Jody and Frank started to clap, and a moment later, the others all joined in. Tommy pulled Barry to his feet, and the men embraced. Then Tommy kissed Barry on the mouth, and the kiss held. Sam put his fingers to his lips and whistled.

Tommy broke the kiss. "I'm sorry, I hope we didn't make anybody uncomfortable."

"Hey, you only get engaged once," Bobby said, his voice gruff with unexpected emotion. Funny, when he'd first come back to the bunker as a human, he had felt vaguely uneasy around Barry and Tommy. Bobby had always thought he was a liberal, open=minded guy, but he'd discovered an unpleasant truth about himself: he actually wasn't. Maybe it was his upbringing, or the fact that he'd grown up in a certain way, and in a certain day and age, in a small Southern town. But whatever the case, whenever Barry and Tommy had shared a quick kiss or even held hands at the bunker, Bobby had averted his eyes. He had been taught from a very young age that homosexuality was wrong, and that it was unnatural. Of course, when you considered the source of much of Bobby's childhood education, the realization dawned that there was something very wrong with that philosophy. The man who'd been teaching young Bobby that an intimate relationship should only be between a man and a woman was also the same man who had been beating the snot out of his own woman, Bobby's mother, for much of Bobby's young life. So what made Bobby's father such an expert on love? But Bobby had gone through life with an invisible yoke of prejudice around his neck, nevertheless.

However, as he'd spent more and more time around Barry and Tommy, Bobby's feelings had slowly started to change. He had come to know and understand the men a bit more, and to respect them. Barry ran a tight ship at the bunker. He kept that chore jar in the kitchen, and he enforced it. Even Bobby had a chore to do every day, although since he'd come back limping from his toe-ectomy in Romania, he'd noticed that Barry had somehow rigged it so Bobby got some of the easier ones. Barry did most of the domestic stuff around the bunker too, like cooking all the meals and doing the dishes, but even though it was mainly a thankless job, Barry never complained. And Tommy had been a real stand-up guy ever since he'd gotten to the bunker. He'd provided them with a lot of useful information on their mission to get the Tablets, and just recently, when he had gone with the others to help foil Lucifer's hijackings, Tommy's stock had gone sky-high, in Bobby's book. When Tommy had been resting, the others had told Bobby how Tommy had joined in the fight with the Demon hijackers, without any hesitation at all. And then, he had coolly and calmly landed each plane safely. That was something that none of them would have ever been able to do, not even Cas. So Bobby had done a little soul-searching, and now, he felt like he'd finally turned a corner, and left his old prejudices behind.

Barry and Tommy had their arms around each other as they turned to look at Cas and Gail. "It's the two of you that gave me the inspiration to propose, and it's all of you who gave me the hope to believe that Barry and I can have a future together," Tommy said, choking back his own tears. "Once we get rid of Lucifer, Barry and I will go back to Vancouver to have our wedding ceremony. Cas, Gail, will you stand up with us?"

Gail couldn't hold it back any more. She let out a loud sob and ran over to Barry, launching herself at him. He let go of Tommy to put his arms around his Angel friend. Cas pulled Tommy to him for a hug.

"I'm so happy for you," Gail said into Barry's chest.

"Then why are you leaking into my shirt?" he said good-naturedly. "Shouldn't I be the one who's crying, here?" But Barry was smiling now. His little Angel friend. His "work wife". He loved Gail so much. Barry couldn't wait to start making wedding plans with Gail. Cas would probably want to weigh in, as well. There was so much to look forward to.

Everyone gathered around to congratulate the couple, with hugs and handshakes all around.

"Now I'm even more motivated to kick Lucifer's ass," Tommy said, shaking Sam's hand. "I've always dreamed of having a romantic wedding. And don't worry, Dean, we'll have an open bar at the reception."

"Why does everybody always look at me when they talk about boozing it up?" Dean objected.

"If the shoe fits," Frank grinned, shrugging.

"Hey, my shoe's about to go right up your - " Dean started to say, but Jody elbowed him, hard. Then Dean smiled, pulling her in for a hug. "Sorry, Jodes," he said to her. She rolled her eyes, but she smiled too, hugging him back. "Since it's Christmas, I'll let you get away with that unscathed," she told him.

When everyone had settled down, Gail took Cas by the hand. "Would you help me set up the pie buffet?" she asked her husband.

Dean's head snapped up. "The what, now?" he asked.

Gail smiled at him. "I wasn't exaggerating before. I didn't know what kind of pie everyone would like, so I got at least ten different kinds. We'll set them all up on the dining room table with plates and forks and coffee, and everybody can help themselves. And you can go to the front of the line this time, Dean."

Cas and Gail set everything up in the dining room, and then Gail went to the living room to announce that everything was ready. "Come with me," she said, gesturing to Dean. "You get first dibs. You can be our V.I. Pie." She led him into the dining room, and she and Cas laughed at his awestruck expression.

"Now I know I'm in an Angel house, 'cause this is Heaven, right here," Dean rhapsodized. Gail handed him a knife. "Here, you get to cut the first piece," she said to him. He moved up to the table, looking at all of the pies. "I don't know where to start," he said reverently.

Everyone laughed, as Gail walked over to Cas and put her arms around his waist. He kissed her softly on the forehead, and then they stared into each other's eyes. What a bittersweet moment this was. This was such a joyous time, but Gail couldn't help but feel sad, too. She wished that was the only reason Dean would ever have to be holding a knife. Cas gave her a nod. He knew what she was thinking, and he understood.

But for now, there was good food, coffee, and fellowship with one another. They all returned to the living room and resumed watching the movies. Then, one by one, the humans started to nod off. Gail had provided everyone with pillows and fleece blankets, and everyone was cozy and full. Cas had smiled and shaken his head when she had trooped out to the living room with the bedding. Of course everyone was going to doze off; what did she expect? But she had just smiled, enjoying the sight of them all, happy and well-fed. Then, after a while, Gail started to gently rouse everyone, sending them off to the bedrooms.

She nudged Frank. "Take Jody and Robbie to our bedroom, in the back," she told her brother softly. "It's got the biggest bed, and that way, Robbie won't hear Santa's elves, when they bring the presents here from the North Pole."

He looked at her. "You've gotta be kidding me."

Gail gave him a half-shrug. She looked down at Robbie, who was sacked out across Frank's and Jody's laps. "This will probably be his last year to believe," she said. "So, we just wanted to go all in. Now, go. We've got a big day planned tomorrow."

Then she moved on to Barry and Tommy, then Sam and Dean, then Bobby. Once all the humans had been sent to bed, Gail looked at their Angel friends. "Since none of us sleep, you guys can suit yourselves. You can hang around here and watch TV, or play games, if you want. But we'll need you to be quiet, so our human friends can get some sleep. Robbie's going to be running around like a maniac in the morning."

"We'll be quiet, Gail," Kevin assured her.

"I heard what you said to Frank about additional presents," Riley said. "Can we help?"

"Actually, that would be very much appreciated," Cas told him. "If you could help Gail with that, I have something else that I have to do. I'll be right back." He left the room.

"I can clean up the dishes from dessert," Becky offered.

"That would be great, Becky. Thanks," Gail said. "You fellas, come with me." She led them to a closet in the hallway. "We've got a bunch of Santa presents in here," she told them, opening the doors wide. "Can you guys grab all of these, and put them under the tree?"

"That's a lot of presents," Ethan remarked. "Robbie's one lucky little kid."

"They're not all for him," Gail told him. "There are some for all of us." The Angels looked at her, bemused, and she shrugged. "Hey, what can I tell you? I may have gotten just a little carried away."

"A little?!" Chuck exclaimed.

"OK, maybe a lot," Gail retorted. "Shut up, Chuck. And I say that with love," she added, smiling. She kissed him on the cheek, and he smiled, too. "Now let's go," Gail said. "Tote that barge, lift that bale. I'm going to go and see what my husband is up to."

She found him on the back porch. He was just standing there, still, looking up at the sky. Curious, she approached him. "What are you doing, Cas?"

He turned to her, and she saw that there were tears streaming down his face. "Oh, sweetie," she said. She touched his face with both hands. He grabbed her hands in his and kissed them. "I'm sorry," he told her. "I just got so overwhelmed..." Cas's throat closed up, and he began to weep again.

So, of course, Gail started to cry, too. "I'm sorry, my darling," Cas said again. "I didn't mean to make you cry. I just feel..."

"I know," she said. "So do I."

That made him smile through his tears, and then she smiled, too. They sniffled back the tears and he pulled her to him, kissing her on the mouth. His blue essence mixed with her gold, and it began to snow. They broke the kiss and looked up at the sky.

"It looks like we'll be able to have that snowman-building contest tomorrow, after all," Cas told her with a gentle smile. "I was out here, trying to make it snow, but I obviously needed your help."

"'Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow'," she sang softly.

They stood watching, as the snow began to fall more heavily. "I love you, Cas," Gail said. "Merry Christmas."

He wanted to say the same to her, but he was afraid he would start to cry again, so he kissed her, instead. Then they went back into the house, to await Christmas morning.


	4. The Gift

Chapter 4 - The Gift

The Angels had sat up in the living room all night, waiting for Christmas morning to dawn. Becky, Ethan and Riley were playing a quiet game of cards on the coffee table. Kevin was reading, and Cas, Gail and Chuck were watching TV. There was a station that had been playing Christmas movies all night long, so Cas had put it on and just let it play. One heart-warming movie after another. It was the perfect thing for them right now. Cas and Gail were cuddled up on the couch under a fleece blanket. He had his arms around her, and every once in a while, he would kiss her softly on her cheek, or her forehead. A minute or two would go by, and then Gail would kiss him on the cheek. Then, Cas would take her hand and kiss it, and then a few minutes later, they would look at each other and smile. Then they would kiss and cuddle some more, what Gail would have called "making out". But they didn't get too carried away, of course. There would be plenty of alone time, another time.

Chuck looked over at the couple and smiled. But then, he immediately looked back at the TV. He had learned his lesson there. Gail had been right, and so had Cas, way back when. Just because Chuck had been feeling deprived in the romance department did not excuse him creeping on his friends like that. Yes, Desiree had cast a spell on him for some unknown reason, but he had provided the fodder for her evil by being a pouty douchebag in the first place. Cas and Gail had forgiven him, but Chuck hadn't yet forgiven himself. He prayed that he would be able to stand bravely with his friends against Lucifer's death squads in the New Year. Chuck hadn't said anything, of course, because he didn't want to ruin what had so far been an idyllic Christmas. But he knew that Lucifer was going to deploy his forces in several places on Earth starting in the New Year, and they were being instructed to start wiping out entire cities and towns. Satan had warned Castiel, and Castiel had gone ahead and gotten the last Tablet anyway. Lucifer knew they had all of the Tablets now, and he knew that they only needed one more item to pull it all together. Whether Castiel knew about that little thing or not remained to be seen, but Lucifer had to go on the premise that if he didn't know now, he would find it out somehow. He'd managed to get all those damn Tablets, hadn't he? Well, soon, Castiel and his little crew were going to be so busy running around trying to stop all the slaughter that they wouldn't have time to worry about that one additional item. And before the death squads left the compound, Lucifer was going to give them the Bounty List. Whoever was able to kill any of the humans on Castiel's team and then bring the dead body back to Lucifer to confirm the kill would be given anything that he or she wanted. Anything. And if any one of them were to bag one of the Angels on the list, up to and including the two biggest fish, they were to bring them back to the compound alive.

So Chuck had seen all of this, and he would be talking to Cas about it all, right after the happy family Christmas. But even so, he couldn't see what they could do about it, really. Chuck had no idea where Lucifer's compound was, though he'd been concentrating as hard as he could, trying to pick it up. And, even though Chuck knew that Lucifer knew what the last item was that they were missing, Chuck had been unable to see that, either. Such was the life of a Prophet.

Just after dawn, Robbie walked out into the living room. He looked like the cutest little zombie that Gail had ever seen. He was shuffling tentatively along, his hair sticking up in all directions. But then, as soon as the boy saw that the Angels were all awake, he perked up.

"Merry Christmas, Robbie," Cas said to the child. "You must have been a really good boy this year. Santa Claus left you lots of presents. He said to say hello, by the way."

Robbie looked at Cas suspiciously, and his expression was so comical that Gail nearly laughed out loud. "Santa Claus?" he said doubtfully. "He doesn't really exist, Uncle Cas."

"Who told you that?" Cas asked him.

"We talked about it in school, when I went," Robbie replied. "Everybody said."

Cas leaned forward on the couch. "And how many of your class also asserted that Angels don't exist?"

That threw Robbie for a loop. Now Gail was smiling. She could almost see the wheels spinning in the boy's brain as he thought about that.

"Look under the tree, if you don't believe me," Cas continued, shrugging.

Robbie threw him one more suspicious look, though it seemed a bit less suspicious, now. The boy went over to the tree, and his mouth dropped open as he saw all the presents that hadn't been there the night before. He turned tail and ran out of the living room.

"Mom! Dad!" Robbie yelled. "You've gotta come! Santa Claus was here!"

Gail felt safe enough to laugh softly then, and she gave Cas a loud, smacking kiss on the cheek. "Good job, sweetie," she told him.

Cas mimed wiping sweat from his brow. "For a minute there, I thought I was going to have to show him the mugs," he said.

She was puzzled. "The what?"

He gave her a gentle smile. "I went to the kitchen last night when you and the other elves were arranging the presents under the tree. I took two mugs and put cocoa in them, then added a splash of water. Then, if he had still doubted me, I was going to tell him that Santa Claus and I had a cup of hot chocolate together, because we go way back." His smile widened. "I was just praying that he wouldn't ask for a DNA test on Santa's mug."

Gail laughed merrily. "I love you so much," she said, throwing her arms around him.

"Merry Christmas, my darling," Cas said. "I love you too, just as much." He kissed her on the mouth.

"Oh, geez, already?" Dean grumbled. He was shuffling into the living room, just like Robbie had done a few minutes earlier, looking just as zombie-like, and almost as cute. "Can't we at least have coffee first, before we have to watch the two of you, doing that?"

Crap! Coffee! Gail jumped to her feet. "I believe the words you're searching for are: Merry Christmas," she said to Dean. She grabbed him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Eww, don't..." He started to shrink away, then paused. "You don't have morning breath," Dean said, stunned.

"Angels don't get morning breath," Gail told him cheerfully. "Now, you, on the other hand..." She waved her hand comically, then grabbed him. "Come with me. I'll put the coffee on. And then, you can reach up to the high shelf and get that bottle of Bailey's that I might or might not have hidden there. That'll take care of that morning breath of yours." She pulled Dean to the kitchen by the hand as he grinned.

Robbie came back out, and he was tugging Jody with one hand and Tommy with the other. "Come and see!" the boy said. "Uncle Cas told me Santa was here!"

Frank trailed behind, smirking. "Of course. He probably knows Santa personally. They likely go back to the time of Creation together."

Robbie looked at Cas, awestruck. His Dad was probably right. "Wow," he said. Then the boy continued on to the tree as Cas looked at Frank, eyebrows raised. Frank shrugged. Couldn't resist, didn't try, Frank's look said. Cas shook his head, smiling. His wacky, wonderful brother-in-law.

Barry and Bobby followed, and when everyone started to settle themselves into the living room, Sam came bounding out of the washroom down the hall and into the living room. "Merry Christmas, everyone!" Sam exclaimed. He was just as excited as Robbie. Sam had never had a real Christmas before. Never. His and Dean's father had frequently been drunk as a skunk on Christmas, if he had even been with his sons at all. For many years, Sam had resented his father for that, while Dean had seemed neutral about it. But now, Sam could sort of understand it. Their father had buried his pain deep in alcohol and Hunting, laying down the asphalt for his eldest son to drive down that identical road, in the very same black Impala. But Sam had been cut from a very different piece of cloth from a very young age, and he had tried his best to forge a separate path. But all roads had led to Rome, and Sam's choices had merely been an illusion.

"Merry Christmas, Sam," Cas said. Sam put his hand out for Cas to shake, but Cas pulled him in for a hug, instead. "We're so glad you're here," Cas said to his friend, and Sam's eyes prickled with tears. So, this was what a real family Christmas was like. It was one of the best feelings in the world.

Sam blinked back the tears. "Where's Dean?" he asked Cas.

"Gail took him to the kitchen. They're making coffee," Cas told him. Then he leaned in closer to Sam, lowering his voice. "I think they're going to put alcohol in it."

That reminded Sam so much of the old Cas that he laughed out loud, clapping his Angel friend on the shoulder. "Do you want me to go in there and lay down the law?" Sam asked him, grinning.

"No. I want you to go in there and get us each one," Cas replied, his lips twitching.

Sam laughed again. He went to the kitchen just in time to catch Dean pouring a generous dollop of Bailey's in his and Gail's mugs. Gail had three coffeemakers perking on the counter at the same time, and she was loading up a platter of cookies now.

"Busted," Dean said to her as soon as Sam came in the room.

Sam smirked. "Cas knows what you're doing in here, you know."

"Yeah? So what?" Dean said, shrugging.

"So... he wants in, and so do I," Sam replied. Dean's eyebrows went up, and then he started to smile.

Sam grabbed Gail then, spinning her around to face him. "Merry Christmas," he said, pulling her to him for a hug. "Merry Christmas, Sam," she responded, wrapping her arms around his waist.

Sam reached over her to the plate she'd been preparing, snagging a cookie. He pulled out of their embrace and took a bite of the cookie he'd grabbed, and then he moved to the cabinets and grabbed two mugs by their handles with his other hand. He brought them to the kitchen table where Dean stood.

"Set 'em up, barkeep," Sam said, around a mouthful of cookie.

Dean was staring at his brother. "Cookies for breakfast? Booze in your coffee? Who ARE you?" he asked Sam.

"I'm a very happy individual, that's who I am," Sam said, grinning.

Dean poured shots of Bailey's in the two mugs that Sam had put down in front of him. "Which one's my husband's?" Gail asked the brothers. She was approaching the table, carrying the first pot of coffee.

"I dunno...that one," Sam said, pointing to one of the mugs.

"Hit him again," Gail said to Dean with a wicked smile. He grinned, pouring another generous shot in the mug that Sam had indicated.

"We'll have to make sure he gets lots of those," Sam remarked. "I like drunk Cas."

Gail and Dean rolled their eyes comically. "I LOVE drunk Cas," they both said, at the same time.

All three of them laughed, and then Gail poured the coffee. She put the pot down on the table and then looked at the brothers. "I really love you guys," she said. "Thanks for not running me over that night."

Dean was grinning. "Lucky it wasn't Frank that rolled off that truck. Things might have gone a little differently."

They all laughed again, and Gail lifted her mug in salute. "A toast. Merry Christmas, to my other brothers from some other mother." She grinned. "And if that's not one hell of a mouthful, I don't know what is."

The two clinked mugs and drank. "OK, we'd better get back out there, you guys," Gail said. "Frank'll be peeling Robbie off the ceiling in a minute." She put her mug down and picked up the plate of cookies. "Can you guys grab those coffeepots? I've got a double warmer plugged in, in the dining room. Put them on there, turn it on, and then take the mugs out to the living room. Let them all know that they should all go to the dining room to help themselves. Then, when we've all got our refreshments, going, we'll start on the presents, OK?"

But when they all got out to the living room, Robbie had already started. "Sorry, guys, the kid was driving us nuts," Frank said, making a face.

"Not at all," Gail said, handing Cas a mug. "Have at it. In fact, why don't you get some coffee in your face and a cookie in Robbie's, and then you can start passing out the presents." She leaned down to kiss him on the forehead. "Merry Christmas, Frank."

Frank rose to his feet and pulled her to him for a hug. She could hear him choking back a sob. "Merry Christmas, kiddo," he said, squeezing her tightly for a moment. Then he pulled out of the embrace, sniffing the air. "Are you drinking?" he asked her, starting to smile.

"Yeah," she retorted. "What's your point?"

Frank shrugged. "I just want to make sure that you're not gonna burn my turkey," he said mildly. "I've been looking forward to that for weeks."

Gail raised her mug in salute. "Well, you're in luck, because I'm not cooking it. Barry is."

Barry perked up. "I am?" He looked at Tommy lovingly. They were engaged now. He looked at the ring again, making sure it was still there. He'd been doing that all night.

Gail made her way back to Cas. "Have you had a sip of your special Christmas coffee yet?" she asked him, her lips twitching.

"No, I was waiting for you," her husband said. "I wanted to have my first Christmas toast with my wife."

She smiled. "That's sweet, Cas." She raised her mug to his.

"Thank you for the best Christmas I could have ever wished for," he said to her. "I have everything I could ever want here in this house, in this room, and in your eyes." He touched his mug to hers. Frank opened his mouth, probably about to make a smartass remark. But then, he closed it again. What the hell; it was Christmas.

Gail smiled at Cas. Coming from anyone else, what he'd said would have possibly been over the top. But, when Castiel said things like that, they were so sweet and so heartfelt that she couldn't ever tell him that.

Then Cas took a sip of his coffee, and his eyes widened. He swallowed, hard, and then he looked at Dean. "I sense your heavy hand in this," Cas said to his friend.

Dean shrugged. "Sammy said you wanted a drink. So I poured you a drink."

"Is everybody ready for presents?" Frank asked loudly. The decibel level had risen in the room, and it rose even further when Robbie yelled, "Yayyyy!"

"What do you say, Robert?" Frank admonished the boy in a mock-stern voice.

"NOW!" Robbie yelled, jumping up and down.

Frank smiled, high-fiving his son. The ritual complete, Gail's brother began to hand out the gifts.

The presents had been opened, breakfast had been made and eaten, and more coffee had been consumed. Cas had tipped the contents of his mug into Gail's when she wasn't looking, and he'd had to keep himself from laughing out loud when he saw the face she made the next time she took a sip.

Barry, Tommy, Cas and Gail prepared the stuffing and the turkey and put it in the oven, talking optimistically about the men's wedding plans for the New Year. "We have at least two hours before we even have to think about basting," Barry announced. Cas and Gail looked at each other and smiled. "Perfect," she said.

Earlier, she had gone to the back door and opened it, looking outside. There was tons of snow out there, more than enough for their snowman-building contest. So Gail had gotten her blade and melted all the snow on their back porch and some in the backyard, but she left all the snow that lay just outside the fence intact.

Now, she came back into the living room after the turkey preparation, with the men following behind. Everyone was chattering away, admiring each other's gifts. Gail was looking at Bobby. After a little consideration, she had decided to give him a pipe. She'd overheard him telling Jody that he used to smoke a pipe years ago when he'd been a human, and that he really missed it, sometimes. He's had something called a Meerschaum pipe, and he'd looked so nostalgic when he'd talked about it that she'd really wanted to get him one.

"I know it's not exactly politically correct," Gail said to Bobby now, "and I'm not promoting you to smoke, or anything. You just really spoke like you missed having one, and so I wanted to get it for you."

Bobby looked up at her from the chair he was sitting in, and his eyes were misty. "This is the same kind of pipe I used to smoke back at the scrapyard, after a really good meal," he told her. "You don't know what this means to me." His voice was heavy with emotion.

She leaned down and kissed him on the forehead. "Merry Christmas, Bobby. We love you."

Bobby looked down, and he coughed into his hand. He was dangerously close to tears.

Frank, to the rescue: "Hey, Bobby, they're doing you a favour. Just start smoking again, and you'll be an Angel again, in no time."

Bobby looked up. "Oh, har har," he said, making a face. "Very funny."

"What are we going to do now?" Sam asked. "More movies?"

"Nope," Gail said cheerfully. "We have a very competitive, dog-eat-dog contest for everyone. Have you looked outside? Cas has been gracious enough to provide us with a ton of snow. We're going to establish an annual snowman-building contest. We're going to draw teams, just like we do for the video game. Each team will build the best snowman they can in the allotted time. Props are allowed, and creativity is highly encouraged." She looked pointedly at Dean. "Everybody participates."

He shrugged. "Sure, Gail. Let's go play in the snow."

She did a double-take, then asked Cas to bring her the bowl of names, before Dean changed his mind.

Cas started picking out slips of paper. "First team," Gail announced. "Me. Dean, Barry, and Chuck. Start thinking of team names, who'll be the Captain, and designs. You guys know how competitive I am," she continued with a smile. "Extra portions of turkey, if we take the championship."

"No fair!" Frank objected. "She's using questionable tactics already!"

"Mind your own business," Gail retorted, pointing a finger at him. "Besides, I'm not bribing the judges, I'm just giving my own team more incentive." Cas handed her more slips of paper. "Team 2: Sam, Frank, Robbie, Kevin, and Ethan."

"Yayyyy!" Robbie exclaimed. He high-fived all the men on his team.

"We're gonna win!" Frank said, looking at his sister to see if she got the reference.

She did. "How dare you throw one of my favourite movies back in my face?" Gail said, pretending to be mad. "Of course, you realize, this means war."

Cas handed her more pieces of paper. "Team 3: Cas, Jody, Tommy, and Riley."

"Hey! How come we only have four on our team, and Frank has five?" Jody objected.

"Because Bobby and Becky are both going to be impartial judges," Gail said smoothly. "So no one can accuse anyone of bribing a single judge, FRANK," she said, looking at her brother. "Actually, Jody, you probably have the most badass team," Gail added, smiling.

"Hey! Standing right here," Dean said.

"I'm just trying to lull them into complacency," Gail told him. She was pretending to whisper behind her hand, but of course, she made sure everyone could hear her.

"I love you, but as I believe the expression goes, 'it's on'," Cas said, and everyone laughed.

They all got their boots and winter coats on, and then they went traipsing outside. Gail called a huddle with her team right away. "OK, guys. Who's the Captain?" she asked them.

"You seem to be pretty bossy today, so we decided you are," Dean told her.

"OK, Mister Smarty-Pants," she retorted. "What's our team name, then?"

"Actually, I had an idea about that," Chuck said. "I thought we'd use our initials and be the 'Greatest Damn Building Company'."

"That's good, Chuck!" she exclaimed delightedly. "I like that!"

"Not bad," Dean said, nodding to Chuck. Chuck was pleased. That was effusive praise, coming from Dean.

"OK, I'm writing that down," Gail said, proceeding to do so. "I'm going to get the info from the other teams, and then I'll be back. Start rolling some snow over here, and we'll figure out our design when I come back." Then she paused. "Hey, I guess I AM kind of bossy," she said to the men. Then she shrugged. "Oh, well. Hop to, Winchester."

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am," he said, snapping off a salute.

"You HAVE to teach me how to get him to do that," Sam said, as Gail approached the second team.

"Simple. Dangle a turkey dinner, and ten kinds of pies in front of him, that's how," Gail said pertly. "So? Team Captain?" she asked them.

Frank frowned. "Against my better judgement, it's Sam."

Sam grinned. "What he means to say is that we played Rock, Paper, Scissors, and I won. I always win. Just ask Dean."

Gail looked at her brother and shrugged. "Aaaah, don't worry about it. We're only figureheads, anyway."

"You're the Captain of your team?" Frank asked her.

Gail smiled widely. "Hey, I'm the purveyor of turkey today. So, I can pretty much write my own ticket." She looked at Sam. "Team name?"

Sam looked down at Robbie. "We've already come up with our concept. Robbie had the idea. We're the Mad Scientists."

Gail's brow wrinkled, but she wrote it down. "Okie-dokie," she said to them. "Now, go ahead and get some snow for yourselves, and once the formalities are complete, we'll all begin. I'll have Bobby and Becky time us, and then they'll declare the winners, at the end of the time period."

She moved on to the third team. "I'm the team Captain," Cas told her. "I nominated Jody, but she said it should be me. And, we're Santa's Helpers."

"Thanks, sweetie," Gail said, recording the information. "I'll go and give this to Bobby and Becky, now," she said, waving the piece of paper. "Start gathering your snow, you guys. I'll give you an extra couple of minutes, since you're the last team." She looked at Cas. "If you can levitate snow to speed things along, feel free. But if I catch you using any of your powers on the building process, you'll be in trouble, Mister."

He gave her a gentle smile. "Now, what kind of Angel would I be if I cheated?" he asked her. "And especially, if I cheated on Christmas Day?"

"My kind," Jody said, elbowing him. "Come on, Cas, let's go. No way my husband is going to beat me at this."

Gail smiled as Jody grabbed Cas, dragging him over to the area where the snow was. Tommy and Riley trailed behind. Gail brought the paper with the team names and Captains over to where Bobby and Becky sat together on the porch, bundled up, with fleece blankets on their laps.

"Cas and I thought about an hour should do it," Gail told them. "If you get cold, feel free to go inside for a bit. Or you could make some hot chocolate, or something. I'm sure we'll all be having some, afterwards."

"Got it covered," Bobby said. He withdrew a small flask from his jacket pocket and showed it to her. She was a little taken aback for a moment, but then again, she'd spiked her own coffee this morning, hadn't she? What the hell. It was Christmas.

Gail looked out at everyone, busily rolling piles of snow into the yard, to individual corners, to begin construction. She couldn't stop smiling. The teams had lined up perfectly, as far as natural rivalries went. Frank versus Jody and Dean, the Three Musketeers versus each other. Tommy versus Barry, Dean versus Sam. Even herself versus Cas. This should be a lot of fun.

She shrugged off her jacket and draped it over the back of Becky's chair. "Won't you be cold?" Becky asked Gail, and she shrugged. "I highly doubt it," Gail said. "It looks like I'll be very active," she replied. "Besides, I want to show off this beautiful new sweater that Sam and Dean got me for Christmas."

"Yes, it's very nice," Becky said a little testily. She could just picture Sam in the ladies' department, sorting through sweater after sweater to find just the perfect one for Gail, one that matched her eyes, and then wrapping it lovingly. Must be nice. Sam hadn't gotten anything for Becky, had he? But then, she chided herself. What was she doing, thinking like that? And especially on Christmas Day? Why should Sam have gotten Becky anything, and why shouldn't he and Dean have gotten Gail a present? It's not like Becky didn't get anything for Christmas, either. Cas and Gail had made sure that all of the Angels got presents. They'd gotten Becky a nice gold chain and a pair of matching earrings, which she was wearing right now. It really had been sweet of them to include her in the Christmas celebration, too. At least she was in the same area code as her Sam right now. He was gathering up some snow and taking it over to the yard. So was Dean, and the two of them were jostling each other, name-calling. Dean put Sam in a headlock and mussed up his brother's hair. Then Jody separated them and told them not to take all the best snow, and then Frank was teasing Chuck to watch out for any yellow snow.

"I've gotta get in on this," Gail said excitedly. She ran down to where the group was, and "accidentally" bumped Cas with her behind while gathering snow. "Sorry, I didn't see you there," she said sweetly. He picked her up and swung her around and around, and she laughed merrily.

"Hey, quit fraternizing with the enemy," Dean said to Gail, smiling.

"If he'll put me down on the ground, I'll quit fraternizing," Gail said.

"He's just trying to make you dizzy, to throw you off your game," Frank piped up. "I'm actually ashamed I didn't think of it, first."

"Oh, well, if you think I shouldn't be doing this, then I'll stop," Cas said to the men. He swung Gail around one more time, and then put her gently down on the ground. But she was dizzy from the spins he'd given her, and she reeled, clutching at him. Cas was so surprised that she pulled him off balance, and the two of them fell to the ground together. Their fall had been cushioned by the snow, so it didn't hurt too badly, but now they were covered in snow, and their clothes were soaking wet.

"I'm sorry, my love," Cas said, looking at her face. "I didn't mean to make you fall down. I was just trying to have a little fun."

She shrugged. "Hey, you fell down, too," she pointed out.

He gathered her up in his arms and kissed her.

"What was that for?" Gail asked him, smiling.

"I thought, since we were down here anyway, I may as well take advantage," Cas told her. He was smiling now, too. "You have snow in your hair," he remarked. He ran his fingers through her hair, removing some of the bigger clumps. "Actually, you have snow all over you."

"So do you," she replied, brushing at his clothes.

"OK, now it's gone way beyond fraternization," Sam said, grinning.

"I'd say get a room, but you have a whole house," Frank groused, shaking his head.

"Well, Frank, every now and then, we like to dine al fresco," Cas said wittily. He kissed Gail again, then he pulled her to her feet. "I'll be right back," he told her. He winked into the house and came back out with her blade. Cas remembered how she had been able to use it to dry his clothes off in Paris. So did Gail. She took it from him and used it to dry their clothes off. Unfortunately, it still didn't work on their hair. Oh well, you couldn't have everything. Cas went back into the house to get towels, and they both toweled off as much as they could, and then he delivered the towels and Gail's blade back into the house.

"OK, if everybody's done with their foolin' around, I guess we'll get this thing started," Bobby said. "You've got one hour. Go."

"An hour?" Tommy asked skeptically. "Will we really need that long?"

"You and Jody and Riley will probably be the only ones working, if Mr. and Mrs. Kissyface keep at it," Dean wisecracked.

"Don't worry, Jody, no more fraternizing now," Gail told her sister-in-law. "It's on." She grabbed Dean by the arm. "Come on, Dean. We're no longer speaking to those people." She flounced away, dragging him with her. They huddled with Chuck and Barry. "Come on, guys, we need an idea," Gail told them. "Sam's team has already got theirs. Look."

Frank and Sam were grabbing handfuls of snow and forming them into something. At least Cas's team seemed to only be in the ideas stage too, Gail noticed with relief. But her brother and Sam were looking very focused now, and she was starting to panic.

"I might have something," Barry said tentatively. "Dean's always talking about going somewhere tropical for a vacation. "So, how about we do a summer snowman?"

"Yeah, that's good," Chuck said. "We can give him a back story. Poor guy; he's made out of snow. He's never been able to have that beach vacation he's always wanted to have. But this year is truly magical, so he's finally going to get to go."

"I like that, you guys," Gail enthused. She poked Dean. "I'm going to pop you over to the bunker so we can get some props, while these guys get started."

"Don't you have anything here we can use?" Dean asked her, and she tilted her head. "When's the last time you ever saw Cas in shorts and sandals?" Gail asked him, and he gave her a half-shrug. She had a point there. Dean glanced over at Cas, who was still huddled with Jody and Tommy, and he began to grin. Yeah, it would be hard to picture his Angel friend in beach attire. Cas saw Dean looking, and he smiled and waved as Dean rolled his eyes.

Meanwhile, Sam's team was hard at work. "Look at them, they have no clue what we're gonna do," Frank gloated. "Obviously, we have the team with the most brains, here."

"We're going to need the head start," Ethan huffed and puffed, bringing some more snow to their corner. "This is going to be a lot of work."

"I'm just wondering how we're going to make this look like Robbie's concept," Kevin mused. He raised his eyebrow at the boy. "Couldn't you have thought up something a bit simpler?"

"Hey, at least he's literate," Frank said, starting to shape the snow the guys had brought over. "Most kids his age wouldn't even bother to tackle the classics."

In the third corner of the yard, Cas's team had agreed fairly quickly on part of their design. They were going to make a snow-woman.

"It's always a snowMAN," Jody had said. "That's sexist. So, I say we have a snow-woman, instead. We'll just have to make two extra balls of snow. They don't even have to be that big."

Tommy looked at her. "What for?" he asked.

Jody gave him a withering look. "Really, Tommy? Just because you don't handle them doesn't mean you don't know they exist. Boobs, you boob!"

Cas was smiling. "I think you've been spending too much time around Dean, Jody," he said. "You're starting to pick up a few of his speech patterns. But, what's going to be our snow-woman's theme?" Then he brightened. "I've got it."

Now that each team had their idea, the work began in earnest. Gail was enjoying herself immensely, but she was also discovering that she wasn't very skilled at snow sculpturing. After a little too much effort on her part, she finally was able to make a round ball of snow.

"Wow. Either I'm out of shape, or this is harder than I thought it was," she panted.

"You're gonna have to get back in the training room with us after Christmas," Dean said to her. "We'll whip you into shape."

"Actually, you're breathing a little hard there yourself, Mister," she retorted. "Maybe we'd better put you on a diet after Christmas."

"Go ahead and try, see how far that gets you," Dean said happily. Then he looked at the ball of snow at Gail's feet. "What's that supposed to be?" he asked her.

She thought fast. "That's his beach ball," she said. "I'm going to go spy on the other guys. I'll be back." She scurried away before he could say anything further.

Sam's team had made great progress with their sculpture, and they were accessorizing it now. "We need a couple of things that look like bolts, and..." Sam snapped his fingers. "I know! Frank, go get the jumper cables out of your car. That'll pull the whole thing together."

Frank smiled. "Good one," he complimented Sam. "I'll be right back." He went around to the side of the house.

"Is that what I think it is?" Gail asked Sam, nudging him.

He grinned. "Depends. What do you think it is?"

"Would Mary Shelley recognize him, by any chance?" she countered.

"I think she might," Sam told her.

Gail gave him a thumbs-up, then continued on to Cas's corner. It was apparent right away that his team was building a snow-woman, and they were accessorizing her now. "That's great, you guys! Definite points for creativity, in my opinion."

Cas put his arm around her. "There will be no sexism at our house," he said proudly. "But, I have to say, I think she's the cutest snow-woman ever. I hope that's not a sexist remark."

"I'll allow it," Gail said, smiling up at him. "Seeing as it's you who's saying it."

"What are you doing here? Spying?" Tommy teased her.

"Absolutely," she told him, nodding.

"Well, go back to your corner there, snoopy," Jody said, smiling. "But before you do, tell me: how's my husband's team coming?"

Gail shook her head. "I've gotta tell you, Jody, they're threatening to win this whole thing. It's a good thing for them that Sam is their Captain, though. If my brother was in charge, they'd probably all be standing around telling jokes instead of doing the impressively organized job they've got going on over there."

"Are you saying that my husband's a clown?" Jody asked Gail.

"Yes. That's exactly what I'm saying," Gail replied, smirking.

Jody smiled. "OK, just clarifying," she said, and the women laughed.

"Hey! What did we say about fraternizing?" Dean yelled from across the yard.

"Gotta go," Gail said quickly. She gave Cas a peck on the cheek and then ran back to her team.

"Five minutes left," Bobby called out.

"Oh, crap, already?" Gail said to her teammates.

"Actually, I think we're pretty much there, Gail," Chuck said. She looked at their snowman. It wasn't bad, but... "I'll be right back," she said. She ran into the house and into the kitchen, grabbing a glass from the cabinet. She splashed some orange juice into it, then ran back outside.

"Here's his tropical drink," she told her team.

"Nice touch," Barry said, grinning. He took the glass from her and screwed it into the snow on their sculpture just as Bobby called, "Time! Come up here, everybody!"

The teams all made their way up to the porch. "Good job, all of you," Bobby told them. "That was a lot of fun to watch. Next year, assuming my foot feels better, maybe we'll rotate somebody else in as a judge and I'll put myself on a team."

Becky smiled. "Me, too," she said. Crap. She should have asked to be on a team this year. She'd seen some of the goofing around they'd been doing, and Becky had been sitting here fantasizing about Sam falling on top of her in the snow, just like Cas had done with Gail. It wasn't fair. Gail got everything. The man she loved, a beautiful house, and everybody did whatever she said. Who'd died and made Gail the Queen of Everything? But then, Becky felt another pang of guilt.

"Can we move it along, judges? I have to check on the turkey," Gail said. "Or, more accurately, Barry has to look at the turkey, and I have to stand over him and act like I know what I'm doing."

"We'll start with your team, then," Bobby said, and everyone moved over to Gail's team's snowman.

"This is Beach Blanket Bob," Gail told them, gesturing to their snow sculpture. When she and Dean had popped back to the bunker, they'd gotten a Hawaiian shirt out of Dean's closet, and a pair of sunglasses out of Sam's room, and their snowman was wearing both items. He had the tropical drink in one "hand", and the beach ball in the other. Chuck explained Bob's story to the group.

"That was a cute idea," Cas remarked.

"Dude, are those my sunglasses?" Sam asked his brother. Dean shrugged. "So they get a little snow on 'em, so what? That's my shirt."

"OK, moving on," Bobby said. They all walked over to Sam's team's snowman.

"Whose idea was this?" Bobby asked, impressed.

"It was Robbie's," Sam replied. "He's reading Frankenstein right now."

"After we came back from Romania, he read Dracula, and then he wanted to check out some of the other classics," Frank added.

Bobby was amazed. That was some pretty advanced material for a child of Robbie's age. Not to mention some dark subject matter, as well. But if Frank and Jody thought the kid could handle it, Bobby supposed it was none of his business. Look at what they all did, full time.

What they'd done here was amazing, considering the relatively short period of time they'd had in which to do it. They'd even managed to colour their snow sculpture green, somehow. "Meet our hybrid Frankenstein monster," Sam said cheerfully. "He's a cross between Dr. Frankenstein's monster, and The Hulk. We call him - " He pointed to Robbie. "Take it away, Doctor Strange."

"His name is Hulkenstein!" Robbie exclaimed.

Bobby shook his head. The detail was incredible. They even had jumper cables jammed into the sculpture. "Good job, you guys," he said, as Robbie high-fived his team members.

Then they moved on to Cas's corner. "A snow-woman," Bobby said. "That's different."

"She's one of Santa's elves," Cas said. "The most important one. She's the smartest and cutest helper in Santa's workshop. She makes everyone happy just by virtue of her existence."

Dean rolled her eyes. "Let me guess. Her name is Gail," he said sarcastically.

"That's right!" Cas replied, smiling.

"Well, in that case, I say we forfeit," Gail joked. "You just can't argue with a concept like that." She took Cas's hand.

"Too bad you're not a judge, Gail," Bobby remarked. "You're sucking up to the wrong person, Cas."

"No, I'm not," Cas said quickly. He kissed Gail's hand as everyone laughed.

"My husband, the most intelligent being in the universe," Gail said, looking at him with amusement. Then she looked at Dean. "And I'd mind the sarcasm, if I were you," she told him. "I still have that macaroni and cheese in a box, you know."

"The judges need to deliberate for a minute," Bobby told everyone. He and Becky stepped away for a moment, and then they came back.

"Team Mad Scientist is the winner," Bobby declared.

"Yayyy!" Robbie yelled. He jumped up and down, high-fiving his teammates again.

"Line 'em up," Frank said, nudging Cas on the arm. Cas looked at him, puzzled. "Oh, right. I forgot," Frank said. "I guess Little League doesn't date back as far as Genesis. It means that all the losers line up to congratulate the members of the best team."

"Wow," Gail said, shaking her head. "Is it too late to deduct points for being a sore winner?"

But Cas was frowning now. "Just a moment, everyone." He took Gail by the arm. "Can I talk to you, please?" he asked her.

"What's the matter, Cas?" she asked him, as they stepped away from the group.

"I only bought four trophies," Cas told her quietly. "Their team has five members."

Crap! Gail thought. That was what she got for arranging the teams the way she had. But she'd thought that little Robbie's team could benefit from having an extra adult on it. But now, it had backfired on her.

"I'm sorry, Gail," Cas said, continuing to frown. "I screwed up."

"No, sweetie, YOU didn't, I did," she told him. She stood there, thinking for a minute. "OK, I've got an idea." She grabbed his hand and brought him back to the group. They went through the line and then Gail said, "OK, folks, here's the situation. I messed up and only got four trophies, instead of five. So, here's the thing: We can give out the four trophies now, and write an IOU for the other one."

"No need," Frank said. "Just give mine to Robbie. He was the brilliant mind behind the idea, anyway. And once we put you-know-who away for good, the trophy will be going on the same mantel back at our house."

"What? We're going after Voldemort?" Sam quipped. He'd used that joke before, but Robbie hadn't heard it, and the boy laughed uproariously.

"OK, that's settled, then. Thanks to my brother, for being the bigger man," Gail said, nodding at Frank. He'd really bailed her out.

"Almost as big as Hulkenstein," Sam said affably.

Frank looked him up and down. "Uhhh, I don't know if you've looked in a mirror lately..." he said, grinning.

"Picture time!" Gail announced. "We're going to take a picture of each team with their snowman - pardon me - snow sculpture, and then we'll have the judges present the trophies to the winning team."

Dean opened his mouth as if he was about to protest, but she looked at him sharply, and he shut it again. Cas took out his cell phone and took the photos of Sam's and Gail's teams. Then he handed the phone to Gail for his own team picture, but she protested, "You know I'm not very good at that kind of stuff, sweetie. I'll probably end up taking a picture of my fingers, instead." She thrust the phone at Sam. "Here, you do it."

The photos were taken, and then an Olympic-style presentation of the trophies was made to Sam's team. Bobby shook everyone's hand, and Becky kissed every team member on the cheek.

"OK, now that all the formalities are over, we just have thing to say," Sam said.

"What's that?" Gail asked curiously.

"Snowball fight!" Dean yelled. He had been surreptitiously making snowballs while the trophy presentations had been taking place, and he whipped one at Chuck, hitting the Angel on the shoulder.

Chuck was surprised, but he played along. "Hey, I have otherworldly powers, you know," he said to Dean. Then Sam pelted another snowball at Chuck, and Robbie giggled.

"I have otherworldly powers, too," Cas said. He took a snowball in each hand and pegged one at Sam, and the other one at Dean, hitting them both squarely in the face. "But I don't need them, to take care of the two of you," he said, smiling slowly.

Kevin laughed, gathering up some snow. "Hey, Chuck, Ethan! Come over here," he called out. "The Three Musketeers ride again!"

"Yeah, well, I used to win awards for my target practice, when I was in the military," Tommy said. He was down on his hands and knees, making snowballs as quickly as he could.

Frank felt a snowball hit him high up on the arm. "Ow!" he said.

"Really, Frank?" Bobby said. "A big, tough Hunter like you? Ow?"

"Did you throw that, Bobby?" Frank asked him suspiciously.

"Me? I think I'm a little more mature than that," Bobby replied, but he put his wet hand behind his back now, and his beard was twitching.

"Well, now that you can't zap me into next week any more, it's on," Frank said, crouching to make a snowball.

"I'll protect you, Bobby!" Riley said. He had been pretty silent and subdued during the proceedings this afternoon. Part of the reason had been the fact that he'd been on Cas's team, and he was still a little intimidated by Cas. But mostly, it was because the young Angel had been overwhelmed by the emotions he'd felt, being welcomed as a part of all of this. Riley had been an only child, and he had been very awkward with people growing up. So he'd never really had the chance to experience this type of family camaraderie before, and several times, when the teasing had been flying around, Riley's throat had begun to close up and he'd felt close to tears. So he'd said nothing. But now, his longing to be part of it all had trumped his shyness. He threw the snowball he had in his hand towards Frank, but he shanked the throw, and the snowball landed harmlessly at Frank's feet.

Becky giggled, and Dean smirked. He was brushing the snow off his face from Cas's direct hit. As Dean was looking at Riley, Chuck hit him in the back with a snowball. "Oh, you are so dead," Dean said, and he dropped to the ground to gather up some more snow.

Meanwhile, Sam was firing snowballs at Cas, with varying degrees of success. Cas was firing back, and he had nudged Gail behind him to protect her, out of force of habit. She'd thought that was funny, and cute, and wonderful. But there was no way she was going to miss out on the fun. So she'd crouched down to make up a few snowballs of her own, and she was tossing them around indiscriminately, now. She even hit Robbie with one, and the look of surprise on the child's face was so comical that she laughed out loud. So far Robbie had emerged unscathed, because none of the men thought they should hit the boy as hard as they'd been hitting each other. But Gail didn't throw that hard, and Robbie ended up laughing, once he'd gotten over his initial reaction. He made a snowball to throw back at her. Gail peeked out from behind Cas. "Nyah, nyah, you can't get me," she taunted the boy. Robbie wound up and threw the snowball, hitting her squarely in the stomach. "Oh, crap. Apparently, you can," she said, smiling. It hadn't hurt, and if she could dish it out, she should be prepared to take it. Robbie laughed loudly.

"You have the temerity to attack my wife?" Cas exclaimed, but he was smiling when he said it.

"She started it!" Robbie pointed out, quite logically.

"You can't argue with logic like that," Frank said, from behind his sister.

Uh-oh. When she'd been preoccupied with Robbie, Frank had obviously snuck up behind her and Cas. She turned slowly around, and he was standing there with a snowball in each hand, grinning at her. "This has been years in the making," Frank said to Gail.

"Crap!" she yelled. As Frank threw both snowballs, Gail hit the ground, and the barrage hit Cas squarely in the chest. He looked at Gail's brother, smiling slowly.

"Geez, Frank, I'd run, if I were you," Sam told their friend.

"Yeah, we've seen that look before," Dean chimed in, grinning. "That's Warrior Cas. Better make sure your Will's in order."

"Time out!" Barry called, and they all stopped to look at him. "It's time to baste the turkey," he told everyone.

Those were the magic words. Everybody dropped their snowballs then. Cas helped Gail up from the ground, and she brushed herself off, looking at Barry gratefully. "Saved by the bird," she quipped. "Sorry, guys. Gotta go. If anybody's interested, after we tend to the turkey, I'll be making hot chocolate, and putting out treats."

"I'll come with you," Tommy said. "If anyone wants to try it, I have a special hot toddy recipe that's been in my family for generations. It packs a wallop, but it's guaranteed to warm anyone up who wants to be warmed up."

"Well, seeing as I have a load of snow down my pants, courtesy of my wife, I'll take you up on that," Frank said. He picked Robbie up and swung him upside down. "Let's shake that snow out of you," Frank said to the boy. He shook Robbie vigorously a couple of times as the boy laughed. "Dad! Dad! I'm gonna puke!"

"Geez, Frank, put him down," Jody said, rolling her eyes. That was all they would need. Frank realized that, too, so he put Robbie down right away.

They all trooped towards the house, shaking the snow off their clothes as they went. "Please wipe your feet on the mat before you go in the house," Cas said to everyone, and Gail added, "I'll go get my blade and dry off everybody's clothes."

"Do us, first, and then we'll head to the kitchen," Barry said. "I should really check on the turkey."

Gail nodded, and she popped into the house. She kept her blade in the bureau in the master bedroom, and she used it to dry herself off now. Just as she was finishing up, Cas popped into the room.

"I had so much fun," Cas told her, smiling.

"So did I," Gail agreed. She started to wave her blade over him, drying his clothes.

"I thought you were going to dry Barry and Tommy first," he said.

"Screw 'em. You're my husband," she said pertly, and Cas laughed. "Besides, I just finished drying myself off, so if you were still wet, I couldn't do this." She leaned forward and pulled his head down to hers, tossing her blade on the bed. Then she kissed him, using her tongue. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him, giving her his tongue in return. They kissed like that for a minute, and then he released her. "As much as I love having our family here, I'm looking forward to having our alone time, too," Cas told her softly.

"So am I," she replied. "But right now, I have a bunch of people to dry off, a turkey to look at, and hot chocolate to make. Maybe I'll get you to take the treats out to the living room, and then you can find some family entertainment on TV for everyone. I'm sure there'll be some heartwarming Christmas stuff on. I think we'll leave the rest of the movies till another time. They get a little dark from now on."

"OK, my love," he said, kissing her on the forehead.

But Gail had been mentally crossing her fingers behind her back. She hadn't exactly lied to him, there had just been one little thing that she had omitted. So, after everyone had been dried off and sent to the living room, she turned to Barry and Tommy. "There's something I have to do, quickly," she told the men. "Can you hold down the fort for a couple of minutes?"

"Sure, hon," Tommy said, putting his arm around her shoulders. "As long as you don't mind us taking over your kitchen for a little while."

"Are you kidding? I should just stay out of here anyway and let you guys take over," she said, smiling. "Besides, you can pretend like you're already married, if you want. You can stay here and make out. Just make sure you keep one eye on the turkey."

The men laughed as Gail hurried back to the bedroom and re-opened the drawer where she kept her underwear. She'd been gambling that Cas wouldn't have occasion to go into this particular drawer. Now she stood there deliberating for a minute. If she was going to do this, it had best be now. But, should she even be doing it at all? What in the hell was she thinking?

She took the long, thin box out of the dresser, then popped out of the house before she could change her mind.

Gail reappeared at the crossroads, putting the gift down on the road. She'd wrapped the box in plain red tissue paper only, with no tag, or anything denominational on it. She realized the extreme absurdity of what she was doing. She was leaving the King of Hell a Christmas present. Was there anything on earth that could be more ridiculous? Yet she felt like she'd needed to do it, and even more importantly, she wanted to do it. Whatever else Crowley was, he was Cas's brother, and her feelings for him had always been complicated. She had run away from him that first Christmas, and into Castiel's arms. But when Gail and Cas had been in their delusional time, thinking that Cas had abused her that badly at Christmastime, Gail had imagined that Crowley had been the one to meet her here at the crossroads, and the only one to show her any real compassion. It was odd; she'd had no idea where that particular false memory had come from. It had since been established that there had been some connections, tenuous as they may be, between what had actually happened, and what she and Cas had only thought they'd undergone. But where on earth would she have gotten that particular warm and fuzzy memory from, when it came to Crowley? As long as she had known Crowley, he had been absolutely horrible to her. He had burned her at the stake, stabbed her to death, and abducted her, injecting her with his blood that first Christmas. And just recently, he had turned his back on them and aligned himself with Lucifer. So why did she feel this pull, this almost familial connection to him?

She called Crowley on their private frequency to come, but then she winked herself away. It would just be too weird, seeing him today. Besides, she'd better not stay away too long, or her absence would be noted.

Crowley snapped himself to the crossroads. He looked around, puzzled. Where was she? It had been strange enough to get a call from his sister-in-law today, of all days. Needless to say, Christmas Day was not exactly celebrated in Hell. But he was well aware of the date, of course. Wouldn't the God Squad be having their sickeningly sweet, loving Christmas in Castiel's holy house? Then what the hell would she be doing, calling Crowley now?

But she was nowhere to be seen. Then he looked down and saw a box, wrapped in red tissue paper. He bent to pick it up. His mouth dropped open. She had to be kidding with this. He was gobsmacked. He didn't know whether to be angry or laugh out loud.

Crowley's first impulse was to crush the box with his bare hands, or maybe to snap his fingers and light it on fire. But he did neither. Did she remember that night? But, how could she? She hadn't remembered being Guinevere until just recently, or Nicki either, until he'd reminded her of that particular incarnation in Romania. Still, maybe a small part of her did retain some memory of the night that Fergus MacLeod had nearly achieved redemption. He continued to hold the gift in his hand, letting his mind drift back.

VIGNETTE - THE FEAST AND THE FIRE

Fergus was deep in his cups at the tavern. It was Christmas Eve, and he had joined all the barflies and friendless men for the forced frivolity.

It was late at night now, and most of the men had lapsed into a morose silence. Soon it would be Christmas Day, but that fact meant nothing to the regulars at the bar. They were here drinking heavily because they didn't love anyone, and no one loved them.

The front door of the pub flew open, and they all looked up from their drinks. A short, slight woman stumbled in, fighting the wind and the driving snow. She struggled to pull the door closed behind her. No man rose to help her; there was a reason that they were here alone, after all.

Finally, she got the door closed, and she stood there shivering for a moment. She looked around the room. A dozen miserable-looking men stared at her balefully. Her eyes narrowed slightly. Had this been another poor decision on her part? But she was freezing cold, and her clothes were soaking wet from the attack. She had to warm up for a minute, or she'd catch her death.

There was a fire burning in the fireplace across the room, and she headed towards it now. She would have to run the gauntlet, but these men looked more pathetic than threatening. Besides, she had already been attacked once tonight, so what was the difference?

She passed by Fergus. He glanced briefly at her figure, trying to determine if she was a whore. He'd been considering getting himself one tonight. A Christmas present, he thought sardonically. Hmm. It was hard to tell. She wasn't dressed particularly provocatively, but what other kind of woman would be out alone this late, walking into a bar filled with men?

The woman passed by him quickly, head down. She got by two other men without incident, but then another one grabbed her before she made it to the fire.

"Please take your hand off me, sir," Priscilla pleaded. "I only came in here to get warm for a moment."

"I'll make you warm," he said, pulling her onto his lap.

It was always the same, Priscilla fumed inwardly. What made these men think that they were entitled to just manhandle her like this?

"No, you won't," she said, and she elbowed him in the stomach. He made an "oof" sound and relaxed his grip on her. She squirmed away from him and continued on to the fireplace. She sunk to the floor in front of it, sighing gratefully. She took the thin shawl she had draped around her shoulders and placed it on the floor in front of the fireplace, hoping it would dry a little before she got kicked out of the tavern. Then Priscilla touched her hair. There were clumps of snow in it. She combed her fingers through her hair, taking the bigger chunks out. That had been really scary. When that man had set upon her, she'd thought for sure that his intention had been rape, or even murder. He had knocked her down in the snow and run his hands over her body, but he'd only been looking for her coin purse. Once he'd found that, he had run off with it, leaving her bruised and shaken. After a few minutes, she had slowly gotten to her feet and stumbled to the tavern.

James moved out from behind the bar and walked over to the woman. "Are you here for a drink?" he asked her.

Priscilla's heart sank. "I have no money," she told him.

"I run a respectable place here," James said sternly. "I don't allow beggars, or whores."

Despite how she was feeling, Priscilla's lips twitched. Which of those did he think she was, and should she be flattered, or insulted? Never mind; she was sure she didn't want to know. "Please, I just need a minute," she told the barkeep, giving him the doe eyes. "I just had an unpleasant encounter, and I need to warm up for a moment."

"Well, do it elsewhere," James said unsympathetically, "or order a drink."

"I told you, I have no money," Priscilla said, a bit sharply now. "I was accosted outside, and the man took my coin purse." Now she felt nauseous, as the enormity of her loss began to set in. She'd had nearly the entire amount of her passage to America in that coin purse, and now, it was all gone. What was she going to do? She had to get on that ship. She just had to. There was no life for her here. Maybe she could start over again in America. Or, maybe life there would turn out to be just as brutal and unforgiving. Who knew? But she had to try. She had absolutely nothing keeping her here. Even the man and woman who had raised her from infancy and their son were going to America. How Priscilla wished she could go to them for help, but she knew that they had barely managed to scrape up the passage themselves. So she had worked her fingers to the bone, and she had finally been able to save up her own passage. And, to celebrate, she had been planning to come here for one drink, to drink a toast to Christmas, and to her new life. But then she had been robbed, and now she was destitute. Maybe she should just throw herself into the fire and be done with it.

"I'll buy her a drink," Fergus said. He was standing over Priscilla, looking at her with a measure of pity. Now that he'd really looked, he knew she was no whore. She was of the working class; he could tell that right away. And she was saying she'd just been robbed. She could be lying, but he thought not. Her hair and clothing were all wet, and her lower lip was trembling, as if she were about to cry.

Priscilla looked up at Fergus. Her eyes narrowed again. "And what would you be looking for in return?" she asked him warily.

"Can't a gentleman offer to help a lady anymore?" Fergus countered.

"When did a gentleman walk in here?" James said, and a few of the patrons laughed.

"We pay you to serve drinks, not to make jokes," Fergus said testily. "If I wanted a court jester, I would hire one." He extended his hand to Priscilla. "Here, let's get you a drink, and maybe something to eat," he said to her. "Come to my table. We don't want you catching on fire, do we?"

She looked at him sharply. He looked friendly enough, but there was something about what he had just said that was making her uneasy. Still, it seemed that he was just being kind, so she took his hand and let him help her to her feet.

Fergus bought her some soup and a drink, and he expressed sympathy for what had happened to her outside. "There are quite a few ruffians about, especially this late at night. A lady should not be walking around unescorted."

Priscilla sighed. "I realize that. It was a regrettable lapse in judgement, and it was an expensive one. My entire life's savings was in that coin purse."

"I hate to add to your woes, but did you know that you have a tear in your blouse?" he asked her, pointing to it.

She looked down. Great. Now that she had taken her wrap off, she could see that the seam was ripped down the side of her blouse. She jumped off her chair and snatched her wrap off the floor, winding it around herself. Wow. How embarrassing.

She came back to the table. "Why didn't you tell me about that before?" Priscilla asked him angrily.

He sat back in his chair, smirking. "I was enjoying the view," he told her. "And none of the other lads here seemed to have a problem with it, either."

A few of the men laughed, and Priscilla blushed. "Well, I thank you for the sustenance, but I have to get going, now," she said. She started to walk away, but he grabbed her by the arm.

"I'm a tailor," Fergus said to her. "If you'll come to my shop, I can fix that for you." He stood from his chair.

She was eyeing him suspiciously again. "Now?"

"My shop is just down the street, and I live upstairs," Fergus said mildly.

Priscilla looked at his hand on her arm, and he removed it. Then she looked at his face. He was expressionless. Then she sighed. The clothes on her back were the only ones she had. She saw little choice but to trust him.

They walked to his shop, and he let them in with his key. He crossed to the table near the door and lit the kerosene lamp he kept there.

"Take your clothes off, sweetheart," he rasped. Priscilla looked at him, incredulous. Then Fergus laughed. "You should see the look on your face," he said to her. "Sorry. I couldn't resist. I'm not looking to molest you, Priscilla, but you do need to take your blouse off so I can mend it properly." He took a suit jacket off a rack he had beside his worktable. "Here, put this on. You can go into the fitting room, behind those curtains."

He mended her blouse. Then he poured them both a drink, and they talked for a bit. He was a perfect gentleman, but still, Priscilla was starting to feel a little uncomfortable. She wasn't used to being alone with a man under this type of circumstance.

"I thank you for your kindness, but I'd better get going, now," she said, handing him back the suit jacket.

He looked at her calmly. "Really? And where would you go, sweetheart?"

She said nothing. She had no idea. She could no longer afford to pay for lodgings.

"That's what I thought," Fergus said. "I only have one bed upstairs, but there is a settee over there by the window that you can use. Unless you'd like to come upstairs with me?" He gave her a half-hearted leer, raising his hands before she had the chance to protest. "Relax, sweetheart, I'm only joking. Well, mostly." He rose from his chair, pointing to the settee. "Goodnight, then. I'll see you in the morning, and then we'll sort you out."

To her amazement, he merely got up and walked upstairs. She went over to the settee. She was pleased to see that there was a blanket draped over the back of it, and a small pillow at one end. She lay down and curled up under the blanket.

For a while, she lay still, with her eyes open. But all was quiet, and she started to drift off.

Fergus undressed and got into bed. He was thinking about the woman downstairs. She hadn't said as much, but he knew that she had no place to go. He was inclined to help her, but he was no saint, either. If he provided her with food and shelter, he would expect something in return. But Fergus somehow doubted that she would provide the quid pro quo that would normally be expected in these types of situations. Priscilla seemed way too pure for that. But Fergus also desired female companionship, not just sex. He was sick of drinking down at the tavern with the same gin-soaked bar rags every night. If this Priscilla had no other options available to her, maybe he could offer her a job. If she were able to retain her pride, they could forge some kind of a relationship, and then, one never knew what could happen from there.

Fergus drifted off to sleep with a smile on his face, an all-too-rare occasion for him. Perhaps it would be a good Christmas, after all.

Six months later, Priscilla was having a drink at the tavern, waiting for Fergus. She was nervous. He was not going to be happy when she told him her news.

It was funny, really. When she'd met him here Christmas Eve night, she'd felt like her life was pretty much over. But as it turned out, being robbed that night had actually saved her life. The ship to America that she had saved up to board had ended up sinking somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean. But now, another ship was preparing to depart for America, and Priscilla was going to be on it.

As she waited for Fergus to get there, she looked down at her glass and saw that it was empty, already. She got up and walked over to the bar. Maybe just one more. Fergus was going to be angry when she told him. She needed the liquid courage.

In her preoccupied state, Priscilla didn't notice the man coming towards her, and she bumped right into him. "Oh, I'm so sorry," he said. He put his hands on her upper arms to steady her. "Are you all right?" he asked her.

Priscilla looked at his face. He'd spoken with an English accent, which had initially gotten her attention. It was very brave of an Englishman to be here in a rough-and-tumble Scottish pub. There was definitely no love lost between the two colonies. And the second thing that she noticed was that the man was very handsome. He had ice blue eyes, and he was staring at her, looking concerned.

"Yes, I'm fine," she told him, smiling. "Besides, it was ME who bumped into YOU. I'm surprised I didn't knock you down."

He smiled at that. "I doubt that would be possible," he replied. He had a beautiful smile. "I'm a seaman," he continued. "I have very good balance."

"You're a seaman?" she repeated. Well, that was certainly some scintillating conversation.

"Yes, I'm due to leave tomorrow on Mayflower, to go to America," he told her. "The New World."

Priscilla was astonished. "Me, too!" she blurted out. James the bartender looked sharply in her direction, but she didn't notice. She was too entranced by the man she was talking to.

"Are you?" he said, continuing to smile. But John cursed himself inwardly. That had been a stupid thing to say. No wonder he had no luck with women. Clearly, he couldn't even talk to one without making a fool of himself.

"Yes, I am, and I don't mind telling you, I'm very nervous about it," she said, making a face.

"There's nothing to be nervous about," John assured her. "I've sailed many times."

"I just wish I knew what to expect," Priscilla said.

He brightened. This, at least, was something he could speak about with confidence. "If you would like, I can tell you about that. Can I buy you a drink?"

So he bought her a drink and they sat at her table, talking. He introduced himself as John Alden. He'd been hired out of England as the ship's cooper.

"What's that?" Priscilla asked, wrinkling her forehead.

He smiled again. He was going to have to stop doing that. Every time he smiled at her, his eyes shone, and the skin around them crinkled charmingly. Then all she could do was stare at his face. The room around her could be burning to the ground, and she wouldn't even notice.

"A cooper maintains the ship's barrels," John explained to her. "Which is very important, especially on such a long voyage."

They continued to talk as Fergus entered the tavern and went straight to the bar. He ordered the usual, and James said, "You never told me Priscilla was going to America."

"What? What are you talking about?" Fergus asked him irritably.

James shrugged. "That's what I heard her tell that man." He pointed.

Fergus turned around, and he was surprised to see her sitting at their table, talking to a strange man. What the hell was going on here?

He walked over to the table and said, "Hello, sweetheart."

Priscilla looked at him, startled. "Fergus! I didn't see you come in."

"That's because you were looking all starry-eyed at this - " Fergus looked at John. "Who are you?" he said angrily.

John was taken aback. Who was this man, and why was he so angry? Priscilla had said that she would be travelling alone, and she had no wedding ring on her finger. "I'm John Alden," he replied. "Who are you?"

An Englishman, Fergus thought contemptuously. And a rude one, at that. "Never you mind," he said, taking his usual seat beside Priscilla. He looked at her. "Is this man bothering you?"

Priscilla was uncomfortable. She had planned for this conversation to go quite differently. But now both men were eyeing each other as though they were already lifelong enemies. She'd been hoping to part from Fergus on friendly terms. They had never had an intimate relationship, though she was sure he would have liked to have had one. Still, they had been friends, and he had been very good to her. Ever since that night that he had rescued her here, he had allowed her to live at his shop and eat his food, and he had hired her as a shop assistant. He had even paid her a salary. At first, she had wondered if his intent was for her to become an indentured servant, but he'd told her that she was free to leave any time she wished. But she'd had nowhere to go, so she had stayed. They had become easy friends once they'd made each other's acquaintance, and she had been happy here.

But Priscilla had wanted something more for herself. As Fergus would take no money for room and board, she had begun to save her salary again, and when she'd heard recently that Mayflower was sailing, she'd bought her ticket. She had intended to tell Fergus several times by now, but here they were, the day before the sailing, and he was still in the dark.

She blurted it out now, and his eyebrows raised. He looked at John, then back at Priscilla. "So, you've found another benefactor, have you?" Fergus asked her bitterly.

Priscilla's eyes widened. "No, it's not like that!" she exclaimed.

"Then what IS it like, Priscilla?" Fergus asked her.

"You knew when you met me that I wanted to sail to America," she reminded him, "and you also told me that I was free to leave at any time. I'm sorry, Fergus. I wanted to tell you before this, but I lost my nerve. I knew you'd be upset."

"Upset? Now, why on earth would I be upset?!" he shouted. "Just because you used me, and now you're leaving the country with another man?" Fergus grabbed her arm, and she cried out in pain. "You're hurting me!" Priscilla exclaimed.

"I suggest you take your hand off of her," John said quietly.

"You do, do you?" Fergus said to him. "Well, I suggest you bugger off!"

John stood suddenly and leaned across the table. "How about if I just do this, instead?" He grabbed Fergus by the shirt front and punched him in the face, twice, in quick succession. Fergus let go of Priscilla's arm and slumped back into his chair unconscious, bleeding from the mouth.

John looked at Priscilla. "I'm sorry to be so violent, but I couldn't bear to watch him hurting you like that." Then he smiled again. "I guess that's why we sailors have such a bad reputation. But I'm harmless, I assure you."

She was rubbing her arm where Fergus had grabbed her, but she smiled back at John. It was impossible not to smile when he was smiling. "Thank you, John," she said. Then she sighed. "I suppose I'd better hurry and get my bag from the shop, before he wakes up."

"I'll escort you," he told her. She opened her mouth to protest and say that he'd done enough, but who was she kidding? She wanted to stay in his company as long as possible, for several reasons. They began to walk.

A couple of hours later, Fergus regained consciousness. He rubbed his chin. That guy had looked like a dandy, but he had certainly packed a wallop.

Fergus finished the drink he still had in front of him, and then he went to the bar to get another. James was staring at him, and Fergus glared at the barkeep, daring him to make a comment. But James merely poured the drink. He even made it a double.

"That bitch," Fergus muttered, knocking back half the drink in one swallow.

"Wow. She sure was," a man said from behind him.

Fergus wheeled around. There was a stranger sitting there at a table, looking at him with a cool, appraising stare. The man was dressed all in black and he had very dark eyes, rimmed with a touch of red. Fergus sneered at him. Just another barfly.

"She used you ill, Fergus," the man said. "Have a seat, and we'll talk about it." He waved his hand, and the chair across from him pulled itself away from the table.

Fergus's eyebrows raised. Well, that had been interesting. He drifted casually over to the table and sat down. "Who are you, and how do you know my name?" he asked the man.

"I am your future," the stranger replied enigmatically. "But right now, I'm the only guy who can help you make sure that the little whore pays for turning her back on you like that. She'll have her legs open for that sailor before they even hit the open seas, and then they will marry, once they get to America."

Fergus's hand tightened on his glass. "Even if what you are saying is true, there's nothing I can do about it now."

"Haven't you been listening?" the man said. "I said, you can have your revenge."

"How?" Fergus asked, curious.

"I can put a curse on Priscilla and John, one that will last an eternity," the man in black replied.

"Is that so?" Fergus said skeptically. "Fine. Assuming I believe you, what would you be wanting in return?"

"Something you don't need. Something you'll never use," the stranger said calmly. He took a drink, then said, "Your soul."

"What?!" Fergus exclaimed. This had to be a joke. He looked around the tavern, but it was empty. If this was the work of James or one of the regulars, wouldn't they be here, enjoying their laugh at his expense? Even James had made himself scarce.

"You don't believe me," the man stated. "Fine. Fair enough. I'll show you, then." He put his hand on Fergus's forehead.

Priscilla was in her usual spot on the foredeck, enjoying the colours of the sunset, and the breeze on her face.

John approached her from behind. "I don't know which I like to look at more, the sunrise, or the sunset," he said. Or you, he wanted to add, but he was too shy to say it.

Priscilla smiled, turning around to look at him. "I know," she agreed. "They're both so beautiful." Like you, she thought, but she didn't say that out loud, of course.

He walked up to her. It was remarkable to see a woman up here on deck like this. Most of them were well inside, pretending as if they weren't even on a boat. And many of them were moaning and retching, too. But Priscilla was different. Though she'd admitted to a touch of nausea as well, she was still up here as frequently as possible, enjoying the fresh air. When he had encountered her here that first night, he'd been pleased. He'd always liked to come out to watch the sunrise, and the sunset. The colours were so beautiful, and they were different every time. God the Father was a wonderful artist.

And now, John was wondering if God wasn't also a matchmaker. He had stopped into that Scottish tavern on an impulse on his way to the shipyards, and now here he was with the woman he had encountered there. Meeting out here on deck had become their routine, and he woke up every day looking forward to it.

So did Priscilla. She would have come out here regardless because she loved it so much, but the fact that John came here was a wonderful bonus.

Suddenly, the ship hit a wave, and it listed for a moment. Priscilla was knocked off balance, and John rushed forward to catch her. Then the ship righted itself, but she was in his arms, and he didn't want to let her go. So he kissed her, instead.

Priscilla drew in a surprised breath, and when she opened her mouth, John's tongue came searching for hers. She gave it to him, and her knees threatened to buckle underneath her. She had never been kissed like this before. His arms tightened around her, and then he broke the kiss.

"I love you," he blurted out. Priscilla looked at him, incredulous. They barely knew each other. This was crazy. She opened her mouth to protest, but instead, she pulled his head down to hers, and then she kissed him. She had never been this bold about anything before, but it felt...wonderful.

"I know I shouldn't ask this, but will you come with me to my quarters?" John asked her.

Priscilla was shocked. No, he shouldn't be asking her that. They weren't married. They weren't even engaged. And, he was a sailor; he probably had a woman in every port, as the expression went.

John saw the look on her face. He was kicking himself. How could he ever have suggested such a thing? She should slap him in the face. Priscilla was a lady. She'd just gotten him so excited.

"I'm very sorry. I had no business saying something like that to you. Please forgive me," John stammered. He removed his hands from her and turned to walk away.

Priscilla panicked. If she let him leave now, she knew that he would never come out here again, avoiding her out of sheer embarrassment. "John!" she called to him. He stopped and turned around. "I love you, too," Priscilla told him. She rushed up to him and he grabbed her by the hand. "Let's go," she said, smiling.

"Are you sure?" he asked her.

She nodded, and he led her by the hand below decks to his cabin. As soon as they entered the room, John realized what a big step this was for her to take. "I just want to let you know that my intentions are honourable," he said haltingly.

Priscilla's lips twitched. He was so cute. "I was kind of hoping they'd be a little dishonourable, considering the circumstances," she said mischievously.

John laughed. She was adorable. He backed her up against the wall and put his arms around her. "That can be arranged," he said softly. She put her arms around his neck and he kissed her on the mouth, using his tongue immediately. She hitched in a breath. She had never imagined a feeling like this before. Then he slipped his hands under her blouse and lightly touched her breasts, and this time, her knees did buckle. He caught her and brought her over to the bed, laying her down.

"Are you all right?" he asked her again. "Do you need anything?"

"You, John. I need you," Priscilla said. "I always have, and I always will."

He smiled, relieved that she was all right. He kissed her again, then he lifted her skirt, and his hand was in-between her legs. As soon as he touched her, she cried out. Wow. And she'd thought that his kiss was the best feeling in the world.

But there was more. He hastily unbuttoned his flies and put her hand on him, and he made a sound that was halfway between a moan and a sigh. He took off his pants and climbed on top of her, pushing slowly into her. John was very excited now, and he wanted to make sure not to hurt her.

She cried out again. "I love you, Cas!" she exclaimed. He looked at her, startled for a moment. But then, he started to smile. "I love you too, Gail. I can't wait to start our new life together in America." He pushed harder into her, and a moment later, he finished.

Fergus threw his glass across the room, and it shattered into pieces. Too bad the whore wasn't here right now; he would take one of those pieces and cut her throat with it. And he knew exactly where he would start on the whoremaster, too.

"She opened her legs easily enough for HIM, didn't she?" the stranger taunted Crowley. "You, who opened up your home and your heart to her. You protected her all that time. You even paid her a salary! And what did she do with all of that generosity? She threw it right back in your face. She used you, Fergus, and then she threw you away like a wet snot-rag when a better-looking man with a more generous endowment came along." He took another sip of his drink. "I'll tell you what. I'll sweeten the deal," the man continued. "I'll throw in an extra few inches for you, as an... enhancement to the contract. If you'll pardon the expression. Think about it, Fergus. A thousand lifetimes of heartbreak and misery for Castiel and Gail. It's the gift that just keeps on giving. And then, when you descend, you'll be royalty. What do you say?"

"What do I say?!" Fergus exclaimed. He should have told the man to get bent. He should have told him that he had decided to be the bigger man. Women were everywhere, and he could have his pick. Why didn't he just let it go?

But he couldn't. He just couldn't. The one time he had demonstrated compassion, the one and only time he'd helped a fellow human being without demanding something in return, and it had bitten him in the ass. The two of them were probably laughing up their sleeves at him right now.

He looked at the stranger. "It's a deal."

Gail wasn't sure exactly where in the house Cas might be, so she popped herself onto the back porch, intending to slip in unnoticed. But he was standing there on the porch, leaning against the door jamb.

Gail's heart skipped a beat, and she put a hand to her chest. "Cas, you startled me," she said.

He said nothing, just continued to gaze at her. Finally, he said, "So, how is my brother?"

Her heart sank. "How did you know?" she asked him, avoiding his eyes.

"Never mind that," he said quietly. "I think the question should be: Why?"

She looked at her husband. "I don't know, Cas. I really don't."

He frowned. He didn't approve, and he didn't understand. But he also didn't want to start a fight, especially not today. It had been such an idyllic Christmas. Castiel believed he would never be able to understand the soft spot that Gail seemed to have for Crowley, even if she were able to articulate it to him. After all of the terrible things that the King of Hell had done to her? But for now, he would let it go. If a discussion on the subject needed to take place, it would, after their family and friends had left.

Cas opened his arms, and Gail walked into them. He gave her a hug and a kiss on the forehead, and then the Angels went inside their house.

Crowley tore the paper from the box and opened it. It was a silk tie, a very expensive one, by the looks of it. He made a sound that was halfway between a grunt and a chuckle. He threw the wrapping paper on the ground, but he put the tie back in the box, and then put the box in the pocket of his suit jacket. Then he winked himself back to Hell.


	5. Closer To The Heart

Chapter 5 - Closer To The Heart

They watched all the Christmas classics on TV, one after another. The Grinch, Rudolph, A Muppet Christmas Carol. Most of them had seen one or all of the programs at one time or another, but it was fun to watch them together. The oldest and the youngest in the room were new to the shows, and it was especially fun to experience them all over again through Castiel's and Robbie's eyes. Robbie picked up on the "Max shrug" from the Grinch cartoon, and it didn't take long for him to make it part of his repertoire. And Cas thought that the scene in the Rudolph show between Rudolph and the doe was especially endearing. He took Gail's hand immediately afterwards. His momentary upset with her had passed. How could he feel anything but love and happiness in an atmosphere like this?

"You always make me feel like I can fly," Cas told her softly, kissing her hand.

"That's because you can," she replied pertly. "But for the record, I know what you mean. And I definitely think you're 'cuuuuute'," she said, referring to Rudolph's line from the show.

"'There's always tomorrow, for dreams to come true,'" Cas quoted. He'd been enchanted by the song, and by the sentiment behind it.

After the Muppet movie, Gail rose from the couch. "Let's go, Barry," she said, gesturing. "I think it's probably time to start peeling the potatoes."

"Oh boy, that means we're getting close now," Frank said, rubbing his hands together excitedly. "I can smell that turkey."

Gail and Barry worked well as a team. She poured them each a glass of wine, and they checked on the turkey again, then prepared the potatoes, three kinds of vegetables, and the gravy. Then she warmed up some rolls, and they set the dining room table.

Barry took the turkey out of the oven and lifted it onto the platter. "Oh, Gail, it looks perfect," he commented.

"Thanks, Barry," she said, smiling. "I couldn't have done any of this stuff without you. I love you, Barry," she added impulsively, putting her arms around him. He hugged her and said, "OK, stop it, now. You're going to make me cry. I'll take the turkey into the dining room when the time comes for its big entrance, but let's get everybody gathered in there, first."

Once everyone was seated around the table, Nicole said, "Can I help you guys with anything?"

"Nah, it's OK. We've got it under control," Gail told her.

Cas had popped over to Ottawa earlier in the afternoon to collect Nicole, and she had been watching the Christmas shows with the group, cuddled up with Dean on the loveseat. She had brought a bottle of wine and a poinsettia plant for Cas and Gail, saying apologetically that she'd had no idea what to bring Angels for Christmas. They had told her that her presence was gift enough, and they had really meant it, too, Nicole noted. She had been impressed by the way the group all were with each other, and she had had a wonderful afternoon here.

"But if you want to help with the dishes later, I won't say no to that," Gail said with a smile. "There's going to be about a million of them."

"The men will be doing the dishes," Cas said firmly. He was lighting the candles.

Dean started to roll his eyes, but then he checked himself. He really didn't have anything to whine about. He'd been having a great time, and now, his girlfriend was here. She had whispered to him that she could stay a day or two if he wanted, and she had added flirtatiously that they could unwrap their Christmas presents when they were alone. Dean had grinned and given her a squeeze under the blanket they'd had draped over them on the loveseat. Oh, he'd be giving her a gift or two all right, when they finally had the chance to be alone together. It had been way too long.

Cas dimmed the lights, and then Barry brought the turkey out of the kitchen. He put the platter down in front of Cas as everyone broke into spontaneous applause.

"That looks fantastic, Gail," Sam enthused. She smiled at him down the table as Barry took his seat beside Tommy. "Don't tell me, tell Barry," she said. "I did nothing but watch, really."

"She's being way too modest," Barry said. "She worked very hard."

Cas picked up the carving implements and he paused over the turkey, saying a silent prayer of gratitude. Then he looked around the table. "I wish that this was the only use I ever had for a knife," he said softly. Gail let out a choked sob of emotion. Cas looked down at her, concerned, but she waved him off. "Me too, sweetie," she said, collecting herself.

"This is the most joyous time of the year," Castiel said, "but it's also a time for reflection." He looked at the knife in his hand again. "Let there be peace on Earth. Please, Father."

Everyone was silent for a moment, and then, Gail started to sing: "'Let there be peace on Earth, and let it begin with me,'"

Jody joined in for the next line: "'Let there be peace on Earth, the peace that was meant to be,'"

Chuck looked at Kevin and Ethan, giving them a slight nod. All three Angels sang: "'With God as our Father, Brothers all are we,'"

Then Sam joined in, looking at Dean, then Cas, then Frank" "'Let me walk with my brother,'" then Gail harmonized with him, "'in perfect harmony.'"

There was a moment's silence, and then Gail sang, "'Let peace begin with me, let this be the moment, now,'"

Then everyone joined in: "'With every step I take, let this be my solemn vow, To take each moment, And live each moment, With peace eternally. Let there be peace on Earth, and let it begin...with me,'" they all finished in chorus.

Cas was taken aback, and he was so touched by their song that he couldn't speak, or even move. He thought that this might be the most perfect moment that he had ever had, in his entire existence, next to his wedding. "Thank you all," he said in a quiet voice. "I have never heard a more beautiful Christmas prayer."

"OK, well, now that we've all prayed, do you think you could start carving up that bird, Cas?" Dean said. "You're killing me, here."

Nicole elbowed Dean, but Cas smiled. "You're quite right, Dean," he said. "We don't want this wonderful meal to get cold."

"Wait a minute. I thought we were going to read Paul's First letter to the Corinthians, before we eat," Gail said, keeping her expression serious. "Isn't that what Angels are supposed to do at Christmas?"

Dean stared at her, trying to figure out whether she was being sincere. Then he looked at Cas, but there was no help there. Cas was doing that inscrutable thing he did. Then Dean looked at Sam helplessly. "Is that a thing?" he asked his brother.

Sam shrugged. "How should I know? There IS a Paul's First letter to the Corinthians in the Bible, and it talks about fellowship and giving thanks, so I guess it might be something Angels are supposed to do at the Christmas table."

Dean looked at Cas and Gail, astonished. "Let us all join hands for the reading," Cas said formally.

Then Gail cracked. She couldn't help it. The look on Dean's face was the funniest thing she had ever seen in her life. He was looking at them, then looking at the turkey, then looking back at them, with an expression that combined longing, suspicion, anger, and incredulity, all at the same time. It was just too funny. Gail burst out laughing, then Cas laughed, and then everyone else at the table began to join in as they realized the joke.

"Gotcha!" Gail said to Dean. "I wish I'd taken a picture of your face!"

"I'm sorry, Dean," Cas said. He began to carve the turkey immediately. "Jody, if you'll pass Dean's plate down, I'll make sure he gets the first portion, to make it up to him."

Dean sat back in his chair. They'd gotten him good with that one. He would have to plot his revenge at some point. But not right now. Right now, all he was interested in was food and fellowship, then more food. He raised his beer bottle in salute to Cas and Gail, and the couple smiled at him.

After the feast was consumed and the dishes were done, everyone drifted into the living room.

"What are we gonna watch now?" Frank asked aloud.

"Nothing. We're watching nothing. We're all going to sit around and talk," Gail said.

"We talk all the time," her brother protested.

"Not all together, in a group like this," she pointed out.

Frank sighed. He knew there was no sense arguing with her, not when she got stubborn like this. But he was too warm with good feeling and too full of turkey to really care. "OK, what do you want to talk about?" he asked her.

She snuggled next to Cas on the couch. "I want to talk about happy things," Gail said. "I want to talk about the future." She looked at Barry and Tommy. "Do you guys know where or when you're going to have the wedding?"

Tommy looked at his fiance. "We haven't really had much of a chance to talk about it yet. As far as the venue goes, there are a number of possibilities in the Vancouver area. Whatever Barry wants is fine with me."

Barry smiled. "I guess I'm kind of the woman in the relationship," he said lightly. He felt close enough to his friends by now to say something like that out loud, and to know that it would be taken the right way. "Which means that I've been dreaming about my wedding day for years. Thank God our home is in Canada, so we can have a real wedding, instead of just a 'civil union'. How unromantic is that?"

Tommy was looking warmly at Barry. He took a sip of his after-dinner drink. Maybe it was this drink, plus the three glasses of wine he'd had at dinner, that emboldened Tommy to say: "There is one thing I know for sure, though. Maybe I shouldn't be saying this, because I haven't even discussed it with Barry yet, but I'd like for us to adopt a child. Now that we've had the experience of being Dads to Master Robert over there, I think we both feel like we'd like another child in our house." He frowned momentarily. "I hope nobody here has a problem with that."

Bobby'd had a bit to drink himself now, and he said, "There was a time, and not too long ago either, that that woulda bothered me," he admitted. "But it doesn't, any more. I was raised to believe that the kind of relationship you guys have is wrong. But it's the guy who taught me that who was wrong. I've been watching how you guys are with Robbie, and I don't think a man and a woman could be any better with him."

"Hey! Sitting right here!" Frank joked, giving Jody a squeeze.

"You know what I mean, smartass," Bobby growled, and Gail's brother grinned. He knew, of course; he just liked to wind Bobby up, sometimes. "Yeah, I do, Bobby," Frank acknowledged. "Jody and I feel the same way. I don't know how these things work in Canada, but if you need us to, we'd be happy to give you guys a recommendation."

The newly engaged couple looked at each other, touched by what Bobby and Frank were saying. Jody took her husband's hand. They had finally had that talk about Jody's desire to have another baby, before it got too late. She told him about the fertility pills she'd tried to take but had had to throw away because they were making her feel dizzy.

"Oh, the hell with that," Frank had said. "I won't deny that I love the idea of us having a baby, but there's no way I want you jeopardizing your health for it."

"I was wondering if maybe someone was trying to tell me something," Jody had told him. "I don't know if we even have any business trying to bring a child into the world, Frank. Look at the type of life we lead. And Lucifer's still out there, isn't he? Maybe the timing is all wrong."

Frank was thoughtful. She had a point, but: "If not now, when, though?" Frank had asked her. He had smirked. "You're not getting any younger, you know."

She had fixed him with a baleful glare. "You'd better watch it, or you won't be getting any older."

"OK, then let me ask you a serious question, Jodes," Frank had said, his smile fading. "Do you want to have another baby because it's something you want, or are you having it for me? Tell me the truth."

Jody gave him a half-shrug. "Maybe a little bit more for you," she said candidly, "because I can see how happy you are, being a Dad to Robbie. But he's growing up so fast. I think you'd enjoy the whole experience, from A to Z. First words, first step...It's all pretty cool." She smiled faintly. "Even the poopy diapers. Somehow, you don't even mind those, when it's your own kid." But then her smile faded, and Frank knew that she was thinking about her original family. His heart hurt for her. Jody knew all about love and loss, first-hand.

"You deserve to be a Dad, Frank," Jody continued, touching her husband's face. "You did such a good job with Gail, and you're so good with Robbie, too. It's not an easy job, but you make it effortless."

He smiled, giving her a squeeze. "You're a wonderful Mom, Jodes," he told her, then he smirked. "To both of us."

But she did not smile. "I wouldn't mind the chance to try it again," Jody said, with a touch of sadness in her voice.

"What happened to your family wasn't your fault," Frank said softly, enfolding her in his arms.

Jody nodded. She knew that, of course, but it still hurt, after all these years. Her son Owen had gotten sick, and Jody'd thought he had the flu. But the boy had become infected with a mysterious virus that was sweeping through the town, and then he'd become a monster, and then that monster had attacked Jody's husband Sean. It had been too late to save either one, and Sam had had to kill them both. That had been the onset of Jody's relationship with the Winchesters, and her introduction to the world of monsters, and the supernatural.

Jody wiped her eyes and looked at Frank. She really did love him. He understood her, and she knew that she could tell him anything. "I've always kind of wanted a girl," she said with a tremulous smile. "I'd like to be a role model for a strong female. We need a better balance, anyway. There's way too much testosterone in our circle right now." She cleared her throat and raised an eyebrow to him. "Besides, as some guy with extremely bad manners pointed out, I'm not getting any younger. But you know what, Frank? You wanted honesty, right? So I'll give you honesty: A part of me doesn't want to just sit around and be just a mother and a housewife, either. A baby needs a lot of care and attention. I would get bored sitting around the house, especially if you're out there Hunting without me."

"I could retire," Frank offered, but Jody held up her hand. "No, Frank," she said. "No, you couldn't. You'd go crazy." She sighed. "Maybe it's not in the cards, Pookie," she said, trying to lighten the mood by calling him the nickname they sometimes used.

"I'll tell you what," Frank had said. "Let's table the discussion for now, until Lucifer's taken care of. Deal?"

"Deal," Jody had said. She'd stuck out her hand for a shake. Frank had grabbed it and pulled her down on top of him, and they'd ended up making love.

Frank hadn't shared with Jody his feeling that Robbie might be better off with Barry and Tommy, but as he looked at the men now, he started to wonder again if they were doing a disservice to the boy by not spending more time with him. He and Jody would have to decide, and they would have to decide soon, what kind of lifestyle they wanted to lead. If they wanted to be Hunters, they shouldn't have a baby. But if they decided to go all in with the domestic life, would they be happy?

Meanwhile, Sam was looking at Cas, and he was smiling. "It's too bad you couldn't tell the adoption people that you're an Angel. I'll bet you that recommendation would carry a lot of weight."

"'Angels we have heard on high, sweetly singing o'er the plain'," Barry sang, smiling. Cas looked at him, surprised. Barry had a lovely tenor voice. Cas had had no idea.

Then Gail began to sing "O Holy Night", and Castiel was thunderstruck. Everyone fell silent, listening to her. When she'd finished, Cas said, "That was beautiful." He sniffled back the tears that had formed in his eyes, and none of the men in the room teased him about it, because most of them had the same affliction.

"Hey, Cas," Tommy said, breaking the solemn mood. "You should sing 'The First Noel'. No one would be more qualified. After all, you were there, right?"

"Yes, I was," Cas shot back, smiling, "but I know that none of you could have been, because there were three Wise Men there, too."

A pause, then everyone laughed. Cas's smile grew wider, pleased that he had made such a good joke. Frank stood, extending his arm to Cas. "Up top," he said, giving Cas a high-five. Gail put her hand on Cas's thigh when he sat back down and gave it a squeeze, showing her appreciation for his quip.

"How about that?" Dean said. "It looks like Santa gave Cas an actual sense of humour for Christmas."

Cas was beaming now. "Dean, he couldn't possibly have given me any more blessings, nor could our Father," he enthused, kissing Gail on the forehead.

"OK, I hear you about the blessings, but I could definitely eat some pie right now," Dean said, looking at Gail hopefully.

"I could go for that," Frank said. "Me, too," Tommy said.

"Well, then, GO for it," Gail said airily. "Since when did I become your servant?" But she was rising from the couch even as she said it. Tomorrow they would all be going home, already, and she'd enjoyed being the hostess. Besides, once they all left, she would return to the status quo, which would mean she didn't eat or drink. Maybe some coffee and pie would be just the thing to conclude her perfect Christmas.

So they resurrected the pie buffet, and those that wanted to had coffee, or an alcoholic drink of some sort. Gail had also bought chocolate and vanilla ice cream, which she'd forgotten about the night before. So, she stationed herself in the dining room with an ice cream scoop and put generous dollops of ice cream on people's plates as they helped themselves to slices of pie.

Once everyone had been served, Gail turned to Cas. "I guess we should see if there are any more family-friendly movies on TV," she said to him. "As we discussed, I think we should leave off the wizard movies for now. As you know from the books, the subsequent ones get a little dark, and that's not the mood I want to finish the most perfect Christmas ever on."

He was smiling down at her. "What?" she asked him.

"You have ice cream on your nose," Cas told her. God, she was cute. Only Gail could get ice cream on her nose when she hadn't even had it anywhere near her face. He leaned down and kissed her nose gently, giving the ice cream a small lick. She smiled up at him. "I love our friends and family to pieces, but I can't wait until we're alone, and then you can do some more of that," Gail told him in a soft voice.

Cas said nothing for a moment, he just continued to smile. Then he said, "I'll help you clean up, and then we'll get out the pillows and blankets for our guests," he said.

A couple of hours later, the humans were all sleeping. Cas took Gail's hand. "I have a surprise for you," he said quietly. "Come with me." They stood from the couch. Cas looked down at the Angels, who were quietly watching TV. "Gail and I are going to pop out for a short time," Cas told them. "Please call me on Angel Radio or on my cell phone if I'm needed; otherwise, we'll be back in an hour or two."

"Sure, Cas," Chuck said, smiling. "You two enjoy your alone time."

Cas popped Gail out of the house and into the suite at the hotel in Vancouver, where he had proposed to her. She looked at him in amazement.

"Barry called in a few favours," Cas told her softly. He began to move swiftly around the room, lighting strategically placed candles, and conjuring up roses. Then he stopped, looking at her. "This has been the perfect family Christmas, but I couldn't bear the thought of not being able to make love to my wife on Christmas Day. Your love is the greatest gift I've ever received, Gail. So I talked to Barry, and we decided this might be a good compromise. We'll spend a couple of hours here alone together, and then we'll go back home." He moved closer to her. "Besides, I know we promised not to speak about unpleasant things, but I believe we are both aware that this may be the last time that we are able to be together like this for quite a while."

Gail looked down at the floor. Yes, she was aware. They'd talked about it in general terms, skirting the issue, but she knew that Lucifer was planning to rain down Armageddon on the Earth in the New Year.

Cas put his hand gently under her chin and tilted her face up so that she was looking at him. "There, that's better," he said quietly. "We'll go to the Strip on New Year's Eve, before the madness starts, and get two photos taken this time, so we can each have one. That way, no matter where we are or what we'll have to be doing, we'll be together, in some way. Okay, my darling?"

"Cas, I love you so much," Gail told him, and now her eyes were starting to fill with tears.

"No, please don't," he said. "I need to see you smile. That's the vision I need to carry with me out into the battlefield."

She sniffled. "You're right, Cas." She put her arms around his waist. "Me, too. I feel the same way. So kiss me, already. There's no better way to make me smile than that."

He kissed her, and her arms tightened around him. "I have a Christmas wish," Cas said in a low voice. He nuzzled her cheek. "I'd like to touch the wings of an Angel."

"So would I," Gail said, and now she did smile. "But this time, I want you to be first. Please, Cas."

"All right, my love," he responded. She took him by the hand and brought him over to the bed. She sat down on the end, and he unzipped his pants. She touched him through his shorts, and he whimpered. He pulled his pants and shorts down and stepped out of them, and then she took him in her mouth.

"I love you, Gail," he breathed, moving slowly in and out of her. A minute later, she heard the "floomph" sound of his wings emerging from his back, and she smiled again. Then she felt his hands on her head, and his wings enveloped her as he called out her name. Then he knelt down in front of her and kissed her on the lips, as she caressed his wings. They were majestic and beautiful. Just like he was. She told him so, and he touched her face with both hands. Then he knelt and lowered his mouth to her, and his wings were lightly caressing her. Her excitement began to build, and she could feel her wings start to emerge as she told him how much she loved him. Then she could feel his wings caressing hers, and she cried out his name.

Then they were cuddling together in the bed, and their wings were interlaced. Cas was kissing her softly, and her wings were rippling. Cas was mesmerized. He had never seen anything like that before. It was so unique, and so soothing.

"Cas, I want to go out on the terrace for a few minutes," Gail told him. "I want to see the view."

"We can definitely do that," he responded. "Just let me make sure you stay warm." He gathered up the blanket and the comforter from the bed and wrapped the bedding around them, and then he popped them outside. "Stand on my feet," Cas instructed her. It had occurred to him that her feet would be bare, and it would be very cold on the terrace floor.

"What about you, sweetie? Won't your feet be freezing?" she asked him, dismayed.

"Have you forgotten?" he said, smiling gently. "Stand on my feet, Gail," he repeated. "It's all right."

So she did, and Cas levitated from the cold stone of the terrace floor. "See?" he said into her ear. "Nothing to worry about."

It was snowing lightly, and the two Angels looked down at the city's twinkling Christmas lights. Things were usually quiet this high up, but tonight, it was extremely peaceful.

"What a wondrous sight," Cas said softly.

"I wish things could be like this all the time," Gail remarked. A tear escaped from the corner of her eye. They had so little time left before everything was going to fall apart.

Cas's arms tightened around her, and one of his wings caressed her cheek, where the tear was spilling down. As soon as her tear touched him, Cas could see everything she saw. Death and destruction. Cities on fire. A bounty on all of their heads. And, somewhat inexplicably, a vision of the Twin Towers collapsing in New York City.

"Cas, I'm scared," Gail said in a small voice.

So was he, but he would never dream of telling her that, of course. He would have to be strong for her, and for all of their family and friends. Castiel allowed himself to feel his own fear for a moment, and then he let the mask drop over his face.

"We'll be just fine, Gail," he told her in a confident voice. "We will prevail. "And then, you and I will have that long-overdue honeymoon. We'll go anywhere you want. It'll be wonderful. You'll see."

Gail smiled sadly. It was really sweet of him to speak to her like that, especially since she knew that he was just as afraid as she was. But now, she wanted to be brave for him. It was bad enough that they would have to be apart once Armageddon began, let alone for him to have to think that she was as terrified as she was.

She winked them back inside, and then she turned to look at her husband, pasting a smile on her face. "Maybe we'll honeymoon in Las Vegas. I'd love to go to the Secret Garden again. Or, maybe we'll just TELL everybody we went there, and then we'll stay at home for a week or two. Can we ward the house against nosy humans?" she added mischievously.

Cas smiled down at her. She was being brave, trying to keep his spirits up, just as he'd been doing for her. He took her by the hand. The elephant could stay in its cage for another few hours.

Then he scooped Gail up in his arms, blankets and all, and brought her over to the bed. He laid her down, caressing her wings with his, wanting to see them ripple once more. But then, Cas suggested that they put their wings away. "I want to make love to you one more time, feeling just your body against mine," he told her, nuzzling her neck. He'd said "body" instead of "vessel" on purpose. A vessel was so impersonal, and Cas had had his for so long that it felt like him, now. He now understood how Gail had felt when she'd insisted on keeping hers, after she'd been attacked by that panther. These were the vessels they'd had when they had first met and fallen in love, they had become engaged in them, right here in this hotel, and then they had been wed in them. He knew every inch of her body by now, and what would make her the happiest.

They put their wings away, and then she touched his face with both hands. "Let's make this one last," Gail said, looking into her husband's eyes. He nodded. He kissed her deeply, cradling her in his arms. His heart was already breaking. How long would it be until they were able to be together again?

Cas moved his body on top of hers and made love to his wife, as slowly as he could. He wanted to fix this feeling in his mind. How close he felt to her when they kissed and cuddled, and how his heart felt like it was going to burst every time she smiled at him or said his name.

He'd told her before, but he wanted to tell her again: "I love you, Gail. You're my whole life. I only exist because you exist."

She knew him well enough by now to know that he had to tell her these things, and she usually loved hearing them. But now, she felt oddly pressured by what he was saying. What if something WERE to happen to her, something they couldn't reverse? What would he do then?

Gail did the only thing she could do, under the circumstances. She clung to him and repeated his terms of endearment back to him.

Eventually, the physical sensations overtook their preoccupation with what was about to befall them, and they began to cry out. Gail put her legs around his waist, and Cas picked her up and brought her close to him, pushing forward into her, and then they were still.

When they were cuddling, catching their breath, Cas kissed Gail softly on the forehead. "I'll train you every day until the New Year," he told her. "Every day."

"OK, Cas," she replied. "OK. Shhh. I love you."

Neither of them wanted to, but they rose from the bed and slowly started to get dressed. Then Cas blew out all the candles in the room, and then they popped back home.

The Angels sat talking quietly in the living room until the morning. At first, the talk was lighthearted, but as the sun came up, Cas said, "When our human friends and family wake, we will all have breakfast together. Then, I'd like to request that you all take your gifts to your residences in Heaven, pack several changes of clothes, and then return to the bunker, to await my further instructions."

"What do you know, Cas?" Ethan asked him.

"Nothing, for certain," Cas said quietly. "Chuck?"

"Sorry, Cas," Chuck replied. "I've been trying, too. Kevin?"

"Same," the young Prophet said.

Cas nodded. He'd figured as much. "We need to be prepared," he told them.

"For what?" Sam asked. He had shuffled into the living room to ask Gail if she wanted any help making coffee and breakfast.

Gail kissed Cas on the cheek, and then she rose from the couch and walked over to Sam, taking his hand. "Let's get the coffee on," she sighed. "We'll talk while we're making breakfast."

While Gail and Sam were in the kitchen, Cas walked to the back porch to get a breath of fresh air. He looked at the snowmen they had built the day before and smiled sadly. But then he remembered something he had read once, something about not being sad because it was over; rather, to rejoice that it had happened in the first place. Or words to that effect. He could see now what they were talking about. Whatever Lucifer was going to do, they would all have the memories of their first idyllic Christmas together, and they would be good ones.

"Hey, Cas. You guys are gonna have to do some of that Angel hoodoo," Dean said, clapping Cas on the shoulder. "I just looked out front, and Baby's up to her rims in snow. So's Frank's car."

Cas turned to look at his friend, and despite his determination to remain strong for them all, Dean could see the forlorn expression on his face.

"Aww, now, don't do that," Dean said softly. "We just had the best Christmas a family could ever have. And now that I've had one, I want another one, and another one, until me and Sammy get so old you have to puree our turkey. Until Frank and Jody are complaining about the grandkids, and Bobby's gotten so senile he can't remember how to open a bottle of wine. Better still, he won't remember what you got him the year before, so you can just keep giving him the same damn thing, over and over. Won't that be funny?"

But now Dean was crying as he spoke, and Cas was crying, and when Cas hugged his best friend, Dean hugged him back fiercely. Then the men sniffed back the tears and smiled tremulously at each other.

"If anything happens to me, I want you and Sam to take care of Gail," Cas said quietly.

"You know we will," Dean assured him. "Just like always. We're family, Cas. But nothing's happening to anyone. You got that? Never quit, never surrender. We're gonna kick Satan's ass. Hey. Wipe your eyes. Everybody's gonna be just fine. OK?"

Cas nodded. "OK, Dean." Then, he realized what it was like to be in Gail's shoes. She always said that to him, and sometimes she even meant it. But most of the time, she just said it to mollify him.

As Cas and Dean stood outside, having their moment, Cas's cell phone rang in his pocket. And that was when everything changed.

Lucifer stood in the mansion's kitchen, looking at a calendar the former owners had hung on the wall. It was one of those ones where you tore off a page each day to reveal a new one underneath. He'd had fun the last two days. Christmas Eve's page he had used to light a cigar as he sat in the library, smoking and drinking. And he'd found a very creative and disgusting way to use the page for Christmas Day, one that involved rolling it up and sticking it in a couple of different orifices. But hey, he was the Devil. If he couldn't blaspheme on Christmas, when could he? And there had been some very creative positions involved last night. He had selected three of the cleaner women and one man from the camp to come into the house, and they'd had a feast, and then an orgy, just like in the old days. The only thing that had been missing was the sacrifice, but Lucifer wasn't worried. There would be plenty of those coming up.

December 26th. The page said that was something called Boxing Day in Canada and the U.K. Boxing Day? What did that mean? Did people put on big gloves and fight each other? Did they put things in boxes, maybe?

Boxes. His mind was free associating now. What kind of boxes? Coffins. And just what was he waiting for, anyway? Lucifer had to face reality. The numbers had settled, and there was no way he was going to get that 144,000. The human arrivals had slowed down to a trickle, and then stopped altogether. Maybe he shouldn't have planned this whole operation so close to the Christmas season. People were all hopped up on the so-called Christmas spirit. Goodwill to men, and all that crap. He should probably have planned the apex of Armageddon for the dog days of summer, when it was so hot in most places that people wanted to rip their fellow mans' faces off. But at least the blood would show up very nicely on the snow.

And he had magnanimously allowed the Angels to have their touching family Christmas, but even that had been by design. It was harder to miss something you'd never had than it was to pine away for something that had been sweet, and good, and perfect. Lucifer hoped they'd had a warm and loving Christmas, because he meant to see that it was the last one they would ever have.

He kept on staring at the calendar. Why was it bothering him so much? There was nearly a week to go until the New Year. Lucifer had it all neatly planned out. One minute after Midnight on New Year's Eve, he was going to deploy his death squads in various locations around the world, and they were going to be given the green light. Rape and pillage, murder and mayhem. Then they were to move on to the next town, and the next. No one left alive on the first day, and then designated survivors here and there, to tell their stories and show their grainy videos on the news. Strike terror into the hearts and souls of every human on the globe. The God Squad were going to be running around trying to plug the holes in the dyke, and Castiel was going to lose his shit. His little group was going to be much too busy trying to save a dying planet and the little insects on it to worry about that one little itty-bitty item they needed to get in order to activate all the Tablets. Well, those stone monstrosities could sit in that bunker of theirs until Crowley was making snowballs. Lucifer was going to lay waste to the Earth, and with any luck, their precious bunker would be buried in the rubble.

He reached out and grabbed the calendar, ripping it off the wall. "Happy New Year!" he yelled. "Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, and Happy Freakin' Groundhog Day!"

Lucifer ran outside, holding the calendar in his hand. "Paul! Jason! Come here!" he thundered. "Demons! Thieves, murderers and rapists! Front and centre!"

Everyone gathered around. "We've been looking forward to Armageddon for a long time now," Lucifer told them. "We've trained, we've organized, and we've played in the mud. So I say, screw the New Year! We're ripping up the calendar!" He took the pages he still held in one hand and tore them into tiny pieces, flinging the pieces skyward.

Paul gasped, but fortunately, all the compound's denizens were cheering and whistling now, so no one heard. Crap. Holy crap. He'd thought there would be time.

"Pack up your crap, gather up your weapons, and let's get this mother started!" Lucifer exhorted his minions.

Paul rushed up the stairs, and Lucifer grabbed his arm. "Where are you going?" he asked the Demon. "You have to deploy your troops!"

Paul made himself grin, even though he felt like he was going to throw up. "I'll be right back. I just need to get my Angel blade from my room, so I can bag me a halo or two."

Lucifer smiled, then let go of Paul. "Sounds good to me," he said to his aide. "Just remember, I want Castiel and Gail alive. But feel free to poke holes in the others."

"Yes, Master!" Paul exclaimed. He ran into the house and his smile disappeared. He popped up to his room and opened up the bureau, reaching into the false bottom in the drawer. Lucky the dude that lived here before had had something to hide. He grabbed the cell phone he'd hidden in there and called Castiel.

"Hello," Castiel answered, and Paul yelled, "Armageddon is now! Right freakin' now! Lucifer's sending out the death squads to start the killing!"

Cas's heart dropped to his stomach. "No," he breathed.

"Yes!" Paul shouted. "Listen to me, now. Jason will lead Team A. They're gonna start in California, in Oakland, and work their way east. Team B was supposed to be headed by Mark, until he went and got himself killed. They're starting in Uganda, working their way west. Maybe Lucifer'll lead them now, I don't know. Who knows what that guy will do? I'm leading the third team. We're starting in London, England, and going east from there."

Castiel was so shocked that he could barely speak. "But...I thought..." he sputtered. "I thought we had till the New Year."

"Well, we don't!" Paul retorted. "The crazy bastard ripped up the damn calendar! I've gotta go!" He pushed End Call and went to put the phone in his pants pocket, then thought better of it. What if Lucifer were to find it on him? So he put it back in the bureau. Paul did have an Angel blade, and he also had a Demon blade, and he stashed both of them in his pants pocket now. Then he hurried downstairs, before Lucifer had the chance to come looking for him.

Cas stared at his phone. He looked at Dean. "We're out of time," he said quietly.

Dean's heart sank. "What's the plan, Cas?"

For an instant, Castiel had absolutely no idea. He'd had a plan, of course, but he had thought he would have a bit more time to implement it.

"Cas. Cas!" Dean exclaimed.

Soldier Castiel snapped to. "Yes. I'm sorry, Dean. Come with me."

They walked back into the house. Everyone was gathered in the living room except for Sam and Gail. Cas opened his mouth to speak, and then his eyes fell on Nicole. Dean saw where Cas was looking, and he went over to where Nicole was standing, putting his arm around her. "Change of plans," Dean told Nicole. "Lucifer is mobilizing now. We need to take you home. Can you pack your bag right away?"

As Nicole and Dean headed down the hall to get her belongings and steal a quick kiss, Cas popped into the kitchen.

"Somebody must be hungry," Sam said, grinning. "I'm surprised Dean's not with you. Two more minutes."

But Cas was not smiling. "Please feed yourselves, Sam. We will not be eating. Eat as quickly as you can, while the Angels go to the bunker and gather up the weapons. Lucifer is starting Armageddon ahead of schedule, and we need to move."

Gail dropped the spatula she was holding on the counter. "Now? Are you sure, Cas?" she said.

"Yes, I'm sure," he said tersely.

She came to him and took his hand, giving it a squeeze. "I'll help Sam finish up making the breakfast, as quickly as we can," Gail told her husband. "Then, you can deploy us wherever you need us to be. Just let me have one more kiss, before we have to go into soldier mode."

Cas looked down at her face. She was so brave. He leaned down and kissed her on the mouth. "That will have to hold us," he said grimly. "I'll meet you back in the living room."

When Cas returned to the living room, he counted heads. "Where's Chuck?" he asked.

"He volunteered to take Nicole home," Dean told Cas. He already had his and Sam's bags packed, and at his feet.

Cas nodded. "Good. I need the humans to go into the kitchen, please. Eat as quickly as you can. In the meantime, the Angels will pop over to the bunker and bring all of the weapons we can carry back here. Then I will advise the Squad Leaders where to take their teams."

"I can pop up to Heaven for a minute and see if any of the recruits want to come," Ethan said.

Cas considered that for a moment. "Okay, Ethan," he replied, "but make sure that they know exactly what type of danger they face. There is strength in numbers, but we won't be able to coddle or babysit anyone. I'll leave that in your hands. Come right back, though. There's no time to waste."

A short while later, they were all gathered in the library area of the bunker. Cas was pacing back and forth, like a General inspecting his troops. Which he was, in a way.

"Gail is Team Leader One," Cas announced to the group. "She and Sam and Dean are being deployed to London." He'd deliberated very carefully about that. London was a big city, and her team only had three members. He'd been hoping to flesh out her team with some of Ethan's recruits, but there were none. Less than a handful were left now, and after Ethan had gathered them together, he'd realized that none of them were even close to battle-ready. Cas had said, and rightly so, that they could not afford to coddle anyone now. So Ethan had come back empty-handed, as far as recruits went. But Cas couldn't take the chance of sending Gail out to the place where Jason was leading a squad. What if he were to start feeding on her again? And Cas certainly couldn't send her to Africa. Paul had said that Lucifer himself might lead the squad that was being deployed there. No, the far more attractive option, if he had to choose, would be to send her where Paul's team was. It was still dangerous, of course, as all of the deployments were. But at least that squad's leader was Paul, who was an ally. Castiel was pretty certain by now that Paul would do whatever he could to keep Gail and the Winchesters safe. That was one reason he had put the three of them together, and the other reason was because Sam and Dean were the best he had at his disposal as far as Hunters went. Well, them and Frank. But Cas needed Frank elsewhere.

"I'll be going to London, too," Bobby said suddenly, coming forward.

Cas looked at him, surprised. "But, you walk with a cane," he blurted out.

Bobby dropped the cane on the floor. "Not any more, I don't," he said. "I'm gonna sack up, and I'm gonna do my part."

Cas scrutinized Bobby's face. Bobby was obviously determined, and even though he was not in the best fighting shape, he'd had lots of experience in the field before he'd become an Angel. And, perhaps best of all, he loved Gail and Dean and Sam as if they were his own children. Cas couldn't ask for any better protection for his wife than those three men, save for her brother, or Cas himself, of course.

"OK, Bobby. Thank you," Cas said. "Team Two will be led by Frank, and it will consist of him, Jody, Kevin, and Tommy. They will be going to Oakland, where Jason's squad will start out." That decision had been by design, too. Frank and Jody were experienced vampire killers, and they had both trained with Kevin in the training room. Tommy'd had some training there too, and while Cas would have preferred he'd had more, their friend had proved his mettle when he had fought and killed those Demon hijackers. Cas was a little less sure of young Kevin, but every team had to have at least one Angel on it so that they could communicate with each other via Angel Radio, if necessary, or if there would be any teleporting required.

"Team Three will be myself, Ethan, Becky and Riley," Cas finished. "We will be going to Africa." He had wrestled with himself about his decision to include Becky and Riley. Both Angels were young, and very green. If he'd had any other alternative, Cas would have left them behind. But he couldn't have a squad with just two members. That would put an unfair onus on Ethan, and on himself, too. And if Lucifer was going to be there, there was no way that Castiel could allow anyone but himself to face him.

The teams had all moved together to stand in groups, carrying their backpacks and weapons, and now, Cas glanced at the dining room table. The two golden candlesticks were back in their usual spot, providing protection for the bunker. Barry and Robbie would remain here.

"Let's say our goodbyes, and then we'd better head out," Cas said to everyone.

Gail went to Frank and Jody, hugging and kissing them both. "Please take care of each other," Gail said, putting her hand on her brother's arm.

"Of course we will," Jody assured her. "Don't worry, Gail. I'll bring your brother back in one piece."

"I know you will," Gail said to her sister-in-law. "And, you make sure to come back the same way. There's no way you're abandoning me to deal with all this testosterone all by myself." She gestured around the room to all the men, and the women laughed.

Then Gail was hugging Kevin and Tommy, while Cas was talking with Chuck. "Why aren't you putting me on any of the teams?" Chuck protested.

"Because I need a liaison between Heaven, the bunker, and us," Cas told him.

"Fair enough, but why not use one of the young Angels to do that?" Chuck asked.

Cas let out a frustrated breath. "Because I may need a conduit to one other party, and you're the only Angel I can rely on to be capable of dealing with him without running away screaming. And the only one I can rely on to transport him to the other party, if need be."

Chuck's heart sank. He supposed he should be flattered by what Cas was saying to him. And Chuck had to agree; they couldn't entrust any of the young Angels to communicate with Metatron. New leaf, or no new leaf, if Metatron was up to no good, Chuck was confident he'd be able to see right through him. But who was this other party that...

"No," Chuck moaned. "No way. Have a heart, Cas."

Cas felt faint amusement at Chuck's reaction, but he was also starting to get angry now. "Would you rather be out there in the battlefield, Chuck?" he said, raising his voice. "I'm sending my own wife out there to fight shoulder to shoulder with our human friends, and you can't even agree to serve? After how you behaved recently, you're lucky that I don't just throw you out there as bait! Believe me, I thought about it!"

He was breathing heavily now, trying to get his anger under control. Gail rushed over to the two of them. "What's going on over here?" she asked the men sharply. "What's the problem?"

"Chuck refuses to be our conduit between Metatron and Crowley," Cas fumed. "Perhaps he would rather deal with Lucifer, then."

Gail looked at Chuck. "Is that true?" she asked the Prophet.

"No, it isn't," Chuck insisted.

"Isn't it?" Cas said, raising his voice again.

"OK, well, maybe it is," Chuck admitted sheepishly. "But...Metatron AND Crowley? Come on, Cas! You know our history!"

"We're not here for a history lesson, we're here to defeat the Devil!" Cas shouted. "An evil that you should recognize all too well. If you're not with us, then you're against us, Chuck," he added, unbuttoning his blazer. Chuck knew what that meant. Cas was about two seconds away from pulling his blade. "Which is it, Chuck? Your decision."

"Come on, Cas, it's not like that," Chuck whined. "I'll do it! Of course I'll do it."

"See? There. He'll do it. Problem solved," Gail said. She looked at Cas. "Now, close your jacket. I don't know what you thought you were reaching for in there, but we have no time to stop and call for a pizza, now."

"Pizza? Did somebody say pizza?" Dean joked. He'd heard the argument too, and he walked over to help defuse the tension. Unbelievably, as soon as Dean said that, Cas's lips twitched. He hadn't even smiled when Gail had made her quip. That had to be a first. Too bad Dean couldn't crow about it now, though, because the timing would be all wrong.

"Come on, Gail, I wanna kick some Demon ass," Dean said, touching her arm. He looked at Chuck and Cas. "You guys good?"

Cas sighed. "Yes, we're good, Dean." He glared at Chuck momentarily. "Are we good, Chuck?"

"Yeah, we're good, Cas," Chuck said quickly.

Gail kissed Chuck on the cheek. "For the record, I know exactly how you feel," she said to him. "It'd be like being the yummy chicken salad between two pieces of the most disgusting, mouldy bread you could ever imagine. I'd rather be out there fighting Demons," she joked.

Chuck smiled, and so did Dean. He grabbed the Prophet by the arm. "Come on, Chuck, let's give Mr. and Mrs. Kissyface a minute," Dean said. He clapped Cas on the shoulder, and then led Chuck away.

"I don't want to make a big production out of this," Gail said to her husband. "I'm sure we'll be seeing each other very soon."

"Of course we will," Cas said softly. He put his arms around her. "Of course we will."

"Then give me a kiss, Mr. Kissyface," she said, giving him a small smile. It was all she could muster at the moment, because it was taking everything she had not to start crying, instead.

"With pleasure, Mrs. Kissyface," Cas answered in kind. He leaned down and kissed her on the mouth. His eyes raised momentarily to the others in the room, but they were all very pointedly looking elsewhere, so he opened her lips with his tongue. They kissed like that for a moment, and then she broke the kiss and stepped away. "I love you, Cas," she said to him. "I always have, and I always will."

"I love you, Gail," he echoed. "I always have, and I always will."

She turned around and joined her team. "Ready, guys?" Gail asked them. They nodded past the lumps in their throats. Gail blew Cas a kiss, then she grabbed Sam and Dean's arms, while Bobby took Dean by the hand. They popped out of the bunker.

"We'll get going, too," Frank said to Cas. He had been giving Barry and Tommy a moment to say their goodbyes.

"I'm surprised you're not angry with me for sending Gail out there to lead a squad," Cas said to him.

Frank frowned. "I don't have that luxury, Cas. We're all soldiers now. I get that. I'm just grateful that you sent Sam and Dean with her. Next to you and me, they'll do the best job of protecting her."

"That's why I did it, Frank," Cas replied. He stuck out his hand for a shake, but Frank surprised him by pulling him in for a hug. The men embraced each other for a moment.

"You make sure that you keep yourself safe for her, too," Frank said in a gruff voice. "Let me know if you need any help out there. Once I cut off Jason's head for real this time, I'll be on a roll. So to speak."

"Tell him I said hello when you do," Cas growled. "Please remember what he did to your sister in Romania, and feel free to cut off as many appendages as you wish."

Frank threw his head back and laughed. "Thanks, Cas. I needed that." He looked over at Barry and Tommy, who were still embracing. "Come on, Lover Boy," Frank said to Tommy. "We've gotta go. I have a date with a vampire."

"I have the feeling that's not nearly as sexy as it sounds," Barry quipped.

Frank, Jody and Tommy grouped around Kevin, who winked them out of the bunker.

Chuck looked at Cas. "I want to apologize, Cas," the Prophet said, shamefaced. "I have no business complaining about such a cushy assignment, not when you're all going out there putting your lives on the line. I'll do whatever you need me to do."

Cas sighed again. "OK, Chuck. You can stay here for the time being, but I want you to go up to Heaven periodically too, and make sure everything's OK up there. If Barry needs anything, please either get it for him, or let me know. I've given you Metatron's location, should we need to call on him. And I only mentioned Crowley on the off chance that I'm able to subdue Lucifer somehow. If I can, I will call you, and then you can take Metatron over to the crossroads. He will call Crowley on our Originals frequency, and when he shows up, Metatron can read his intent, and find out which side he is truly on. If Metatron is confident that he will stand with us against Lucifer, you will bring them to where I am. You are the only one who will know my location. I'm not even going to tell Metatron, just in case. So, you see, yours is a vital responsibility."

Chuck nodded, but something was bothering him about what Cas had just said. "Uh, Cas...what if Crowley won't stand with us? Or, what if Metatron double-crosses us?"

Cas smiled grimly. "And now, you see why I couldn't send a younger Angel," he said enigmatically.

Chuck's blood ran cold. He got it, now. Then he sighed. What was he going to say? That he'd rather have one of the young Angels try to stand up to two of the most evil beings that there had ever been? Maybe it should be young Riley, who couldn't say boo to a goose, and whose hand still shook every time he held a weapon? Or maybe it should be Gail? She would likely put up a much better fight, but in the end, she would be no match for those two, if things ended up going that way. Then she would be gone, and Chuck would have an eternity to live with his guilt, and to face Cas's accusing stare. That was, if Cas didn't just kill Chuck outright. No. If Chuck truly wanted to be one of the good guys, he had to be prepared to die for his Brothers and Sisters.

"I get it," he told Cas. "And I'll try to do as much damage as I can before they wipe the floor with me. Maybe they won't be expecting me to fight back. I AM a notorious coward, you know."

Cas smiled. Chuck was really all right, when he stayed on the path. He had some very good potential to be a leader in Heaven, as long as he stayed on the right path. Gail had a soft spot for Chuck, and Gail was usually a very good judge of character. Except for in the case of Castiel's Brother, that was. That particular thing continued to mystify Cas.

"We'll be going now," Cas said, turning to Barry. Their human friend was sitting at the library table with Robbie on his knee. The boy was trying to be brave, but his lower lip was trembling. He may be a kid, but he wasn't stupid. Robbie knew what they were all going out there for. He'd been seeing it for months now.

Cas moved over to where they sat, and he put his hand on Robbie's head. He smiled gently. "There's no shame in crying, Robbie," he said softly. "I do it, too, sometimes."

Robbie nodded, but he was too scared to even talk now. All he could see in his head were images of dead bodies, fires, and some kind of white powder that killed anyone who breathed it in.

Barry stood, putting Robbie on the floor, and he pulled Cas in for a hug. "I'll pray that you all come home safe," Barry said in a thick voice.

"Tommy is quite skilled," Cas assured him. "And Frank and Jody are, as well."

Barry tried to smile. "I know, Cas."

"Just think about your wedding," Cas said to him. "That will give you hope. It worked for me."

But that thought just made Barry want to cry even more, because now he was trying to picture Tommy and Gail trying to fend off Demons, and being attacked by humans, too. He would just have to remind himself that Tommy had been trained how to fight in the military, and that Gail had Angelic powers, and that she apparently knew how to fight. Barry had never been in the training room before because he disliked any display of violence, even simulated fighting. But he just had to believe that they could all handle themselves. Surely Cas wouldn't send them out there if they couldn't.

Cas put his hand on Barry's shoulder for a moment, and then he walked back to where the young Angels stood, waiting apprehensively for him. "Let's go," he said in a clipped tone, switching to Warrior mode. And then they were gone.

VIGNETTE - HOLD MY HAND

Tommy cursed when his cell phone rang. He grabbed it out of his pocket and muted the ringer immediately. He shouldn't even have it. Cas had told everyone very sternly before they'd left the bunker that there were to be no ringing cell phones out on the road. Any communication that needed to be done should be done silently, over Angel Radio. That was why every team had at least one Angel on it.

And now that they'd been out in the field for several days, Tommy could see why Cas had been so adamant. Tommy's military training had kicked in, so when Frank had directed them all to kill the members of the death squad as quietly as they could so as not to alert the others, Tommy had been up for the task. But he would sure as hell look like an idiot if he were to sneak up on one of the gunmen, preparing to slit his throat, and then have a merry little ringtone issuing from his pants. Yeah, that'd be hilarious.

He looked at the Call Display. Wyatt. For a moment, Tommy thought about hitting End Call. But then, he relented. It was New Year's Eve, and everything was quiet in Modesto for the moment. Kevin had popped them here because it was the next town due east of where they had been. But the death squad had been taking their time getting here. Maybe they'd stopped somewhere for a case of beer or three. It was New Years' Eve, after all, and these were Demons, bikers, and psychopaths they were dealing with, for the most part.

He pushed the button. "Wyatt?" Tommy said quietly.

Wyatt sounded drunk. "I just called to wish you and your honey a Happy New Year. It was good seeing you again, Tommy. How are those handsome friends of yours?"

"Look, Tommy, I can't talk." Tommy told his ex-boyfriend what was going on, and Wyatt gasped. "I don't think they'll be coming out your way, not if they continue due east. But, be vigilant, Wyatt. Tell all your friends, too." Now, a ghost of a smile crept across Tommy's face. "But maybe not your buddy, the General. We're a little upset with him at the moment."

Wyatt sighed. "That's OK, Tom-Tom. He's not calling me anymore. I think he's mad at me for setting him up with your friends in the first place. But, I wish he was still coming around. I miss the financial security. I've had to skip a couple of shows. I'm supposed to be down there tonight, for instance. It's one of the biggest nights of the year at the club. But I'm just so tired these days, all the time."

Tommy rolled his eyes. Wyatt. It was always all about him. Tommy had just finished telling Wyatt that he and his friends were running around dealing with roving killers, and Wyatt was telling Tommy he was tired and sad because his rich boyfriend wasn't calling any more.

"Tommy, what the hell are you doing?" Kevin said softly. He had peeked around the corner to see if Tommy was still awake and in position, and Tommy was talking on his cell phone. "I see headlights coming down the road."

Crap. "Wyatt, I've got to go," Tommy said quickly. "Take care." Then he hung up the phone and slipped it into his pocket, getting his knife out.

Wyatt tossed his cell phone on the coffee table, taking another gulp of wine. Well, that had been a bust. He supposed that he was being selfish, if what Tommy said was true. But Wyatt had his own problems right now. Not only did he feel exhausted all the time, but he was starting to wake up in the middle of the night bathed in sweat. And it wasn't the good kind, the kind you got when you had been having a vigorous session with a very willing partner, either. No, it was the kind that he'd heard that middle-aged women got when they were in menopause. Had he been dressing in drag for so long that his body actually thought that it was female?

That thought might have been a little bit funny, had it not been for the fact that he'd woken up this morning with a sore cheek, and when he'd checked it out, he'd felt something in there.

Wyatt was a lot of things, but he wasn't an idiot. He'd practically flown to his laptop, looking up all of the symptoms. Then he'd just sat there, staring at the screen. What should he do next? Because it was the holidays, none of the clinics would be open for at least a couple of days. So he did the only other thing he felt like he could do, at that point. He'd opened his first bottle of wine, then called in sick.

He had been hoping to talk to Tommy for a bit. Maybe even tell him about what he'd read on the Internet and receive some reassurance. Maybe Tommy would tell him it was just his imagination, running wild. Something, anyway. But now, Tommy had hung up on him, and Adrian wasn't returning his calls. Wyatt was realizing something now: he led a hollow, friendless existence. There wasn't a single one of his "dates" or a single one of his drag friends that he could actually call and confide in. Not even one. It was funny, really. Tommy was out there in the dark, waiting for a bunch of murderers to pass his way, and Wyatt was envying Tommy, because he had a man to love and who loved him, and a whole group of friends, besides.

Wyatt opened another bottle of wine and began to cry.

VIGNETTE - FORTUNATE SON

Barry woke up on New Year's Day. He automatically looked over at Tommy's side of the bed, but of course, his fiance wasn't there. They'd only been apart for a week, but Barry's heart ached constantly, like a low-grade toothache you couldn't quite get rid of. He put his fingers to his lips, kissed them, and put that hand on Tommy's pillow. It was sappy, and dumb, but it made him feel better to do it. He could just picture Cas doing something like that. Barry wondered how they were all doing. But Cas had instructed him to call Chuck only, on the cell number that Cas had given him for their Angel friend. And furthermore, Barry was only supposed to call Chuck in the case of an emergency. And Cas had meant it, too. They were going to be going out there putting their lives on the line every minute of every day, so Barry had better not call anyone just to chit-chat.

Barry rose from the bed and got dressed, sighing. Under normal circumstances, Barry would have told Cas to stop it, he was turning Barry on by being so masterful, and then Barry and Gail would have had a good laugh about that. But now, he was consumed with worry about his fiance and his Angel friends, and not knowing if they were safe was driving him nuts.

But in the meantime, Barry had to be both mother and father to a very scared and confused Robbie. The boy knew what was going on, of course. There was no more sugarcoating to be done at this point. Robbie had known a long time ago about the death squads. In fact, he'd known about a lot of things. The only thing Robbie didn't know, it seemed, was if everyone was going to survive this latest ordeal, and Barry had to try to resist the urge to pressure the boy. If Robbie was able to see something, he'd told Barry, he would let him know. But he couldn't make it come, the boy had explained. He'd tried and tried, but things didn't work like that.

Barry shuffled to the kitchen and put the coffee on. He didn't hear Robbie stirring yet. He was probably sleeping in. Last night, Barry had let Robbie stay up to see the ball drop, and they'd had soda and snacks. Robbie was unaccustomed to having that much sugar that late at night, and he'd been wired. So they'd ended up staying up way past Robbie's bedtime. But, no matter. It was just the two of them here now, wasn't it? Robbie could sleep in for as long as he wanted.

Once the coffee was ready, Barry poured himself a mugful and sat down at the kitchen table. It was so quiet here now that it was almost eerie. For as long as he and Tommy had been staying here, the bunker had always been a busy hive of activity. Angels, humans, men, women, Robbie. Always some kind of combinations and permutations of people coming and going, laughing, eating, and loving. Barry had never felt so sad and so lonely in all his life.

Think about the wedding, Cas had said, so Barry made himself concentrate on that. A spring wedding would be nice. Maybe they could have the ceremony in Stanley Park, or Van Dusen Gardens. Cas and Gail would stand up with them, and all of their human and Angel friends would be invited. They'd even get a little tuxedo for Robbie, or Master Robert, as Tommy had taken to calling him. Lately, though, the boy had requested to be addressed as "Rob".

Barry's mind wandered from there. He didn't imagine Tommy would want to invite any of his blood family, which was a shame, really. But Barry wasn't going to push it. He knew what a contentious relationship his fiance had with his family, when he'd finally come out to them.

Barry had had it easy by comparison. It had been just him and his Dad, at that point. Barry's mother had died when he'd been a young teenager, and he had been an only child. When he'd finally gotten up the nerve to tell his Dad that he was gay, they'd been sitting quietly in the boat, fishing. Barry's heart had stopped for a moment when he'd blurted it out, until his father had looked at him and told him that he already knew. Barry had cried then, partly from relief and partly because his father had smiled and told Barry that it didn't matter to him. Barry was his son, and his father loved him unconditionally. All he wanted was for Barry to be happy.

And that had been it. The next couple of years had gone by fairly uneventfully. Barry's Dad had been true to his word. As Barry went through high school, he found that he was able to confide in his father about anything, including his feelings for other guys, and his father would listen patiently and then dole out whatever advice he had, if he had any at all. And then his Dad had had his heart attack and died.

Barry had been devastated at the time, and he still missed his Dad a great deal, but now he was at peace about it. He had faith that his Dad would be waiting for him in Heaven when he and Tommy got there, and he knew that his father would welcome Tommy with open arms as Barry's husband. It was sad that he'd never gotten to know Tommy, and Barry would have loved his Dad to have given him away at their wedding. His father would be pleased and proud of them for the stand they were taking against Lucifer, too.

He lifted his mug in silent tribute and drank to his father.

VIGNETTE - DOUBLE AGENT

Paul had to shake his head at the irony of it all. Here it was, Martin Luther King Day, and he was stuck in Europe. They wouldn't be celebrating that here, he was sure. Martin Luther Day, maybe. He smiled at his own wit, but of course, none of the thick-headed Neanderthals he was here with would get it. What a shame. That had been a good one, too.

They were in Antwerp now. What a name. They'd just been in London a week or so ago, and the squad had been slicing and dicing their way through the city. So far, Paul had been able to avoid doing any actual killing himself, but his squads had been too busy to notice. Every time the squad would kill a bunch of humans, up would pop the Winchesters, his little Boo, and the old guy, and they would wipe his killers out.

Every time that happened, Paul would just fade back and watch. He'd been sorely tempted to join Castiel's people, more than a couple of times. But he couldn't show his hand, because every time the forces of Good and Evil started to fight, one or two Demons would just wink back to the compound and bring back reinforcements. Then there would be more fighting, and then the God Squad would retreat, or the death squad would move on. So Paul didn't throw his cards down, because he thought he'd be able to help Cas and friends more this way. Maybe if Lucifer's numbers dwindled enough, Paul would eventually cross the floor. But right now, there were plenty more bad guys where the dead ones had come from. Lucifer himself had even stopped by once, just to check in with the troops. Fortunately, he hadn't stuck around, but still. Paul may be paranoid, but he felt like he was being watched all the time.

Lucifer had asked Paul if he'd had the opportunity to kill any of them yet, and Paul had lied and told him no. But just yesterday, when he'd been watching the fighting, Paul had witnessed Gail being cornered by two of his Demons. That had happened before, and she'd always been able to fight her way out, or one of the men had come to her aid. But in this particular instance, she had appeared to have gotten stuck on something, and the Demons had laughed and talked about how they were going to split the bounty. So, before they had the chance to take her, Paul had popped over there and stabbed them both. Then he'd given Gail a wink and disappeared again, before he was discovered by any of the others.

What the hell was Castiel doing? Leading a team of his own, no doubt. Man, their ranks must be really thin, Paul thought. But if the other teams were as tenacious as this one, they would put up quite a contest. In the end, though, it seemed like Lucifer had the sheer numbers on his side. Paul had no idea how this was going to turn out.

VIGNETTE - ALL OUR DARK TOMORROWS

It was the first week of February now. Groundhog Day, in many places, according to the calendar on the wall of the office in the movie theatre where their group had taken refuge to await the next wave.

Riley remembered that old movie of the same name, the one where the guy kept waking up to the same day, over and over again. That's what this was feeling like to him. Town after town, dead bodies everywhere. Then they would find the death squads and engage with them. They would fight, and Cas's group would kill them all. But then, more Demons and more humans would take their place, and the whole thing would start all over again, either in that town, or the next.

They had been told that the death squads were supposed to move due west from Uganda, but the intel had been faulty. The killers had gone south, instead. Castiel had been advised that Mark had been supposed to lead this particular squad, but Mark was dead, and so they had no leader. Cas had thought that Lucifer might lead them himself, but they hadn't seen hide nor hair of the Devil. Castiel supposed Lucifer didn't want to get his lily-white suit dirty, he'd told his team, in a voice that had been dripping with scorn.

Their squad had gotten plenty dirty since they'd been out here, though. Riley had seen Castiel in the training room, of course, but he'd had no idea how ferocious a fighter their leader truly was until he'd seen it for real. Cas was awesome, and he was relentless. He could take on multiple enemies at once, protect the other members of his team, and heal wounds, seemingly all at the same time. He and Ethan worked well together, and the two of them had been taking the time to provide further instruction to Becky and Riley on the use of certain weapons, and stealth techniques. Riley had never learned so much in such a short time in all of his existence.

He could use a few more lessons intact, though. When they'd first holed up in here, Riley had made the unfortunate mistake of joking grimly that he wished that Gail were here to help them clean their clothes. Castiel had stared at Riley with a penetrating gaze, and Riley had stammered out an apology. Then Cas had swept out of the room, and then Riley'd had to endure Ethan and Becky's dirty looks.

Cas went into the theatre and sat in the front row, wiping the tears from his eyes. He knew that Riley hadn't meant any harm, but his offhand comment had been just like a stab to Cas's heart. He missed Gail so much it was just about unbearable. He looked around the theatre, and his mind brought him back to another theatre in which he used to sit, when Gail had been Sarah and he had been trying to get her back and help her regain the memories of who she was. At least he'd gotten to see her every day then, although the months before he found her had been like slow, agonizing torture. These days, they spoke in their heads only, but it wasn't the same thing as being able to look into her eyes or hold her hand.

He was consumed with worry about her. Cas called her several times a day to check in, and he'd asked her to do the same. She had said that she would, but she had ended up asking him to ease back on the communications a bit. It was difficult to concentrate with his voice in her ear. She'd gotten cornered by a couple of Demons a while back, and she'd lost focus. Bobby and the others had been fighting elsewhere, and Gail refused to call out for help because the men were in the middle of their own fierce fights. And she could usually fight her way out, too. Ever since Cas had shouted at her in training and she'd thrown him across the room with her golden beams, she'd turned a corner. When they'd all gone out on the road initially, the men had been very protective of her. But as soon as Gail had shown them that she could now repel enemies and fight several entities at once like Cas did, they'd left her a bit more to her own devices. But, that one time, she'd dropped her guard for a moment when she and Cas had been conversing, and those Demons had cornered her. Then she'd gotten her top stuck on a nail, or something. Luckily, just as they'd been about to grab her and put the sigil cuffs on, Paul had shown up out of the blue and killed the Demons, then disappeared again. She'd taken a deep breath, extricated herself from the nail, and then run around the corner to see if she could help the guys. Later, when she'd called Cas on their frequency to apologize for disconnecting so abruptly, she'd told him about the situation, and about Paul's assistance. Cas had smiled briefly, hearing the latter part of the story. So Paul was truly on the path to redemption now. Saving an Original Angel from Lucifer's Demons, when he was a Demon himself? That was sure to raise Paul's stock, as the expression went. When this was all over, if Paul kept behaving that way, Cas planned to intervene on his behalf, if he possibly could.

But Gail had been fairly blunt; she needed to be on her toes and aware of her surroundings at all times. She loved Cas more than anything, so she needed to be able to come back to him alive. Castiel had understood, of course, and of course he wanted that, too. So they'd cut back on the communications, as a result. But that only served to heighten his apprehension. He couldn't worry about her enough. But he also had his young charges to worry about, too. Ethan was fairly capable, but Becky and Riley were extremely green. Castiel had to take on much of the load himself. Fortunately, he'd discovered that Ethan was proficient with firearms due to his police academy training here on Earth, and that skill was proving to be handy. Cas would lead the way, knocking Demons and humans off their feet and killing them, and once they'd dropped their guns, Ethan would pick the weapons up off the ground and start shooting all of the enemies that were left. If they went down, they were humans; if they stayed on their feet, they were Demons. If that was the case, Ethan would get his Demon knife out, and then Riley and Becky would pick up the slack. So far, the system was working out well. But Castiel had also noted that the more of Lucifer's minions they killed, the more turned up at the next town. How many did Lucifer have? But there was no way of telling that. Maybe Paul would know, but Paul wasn't here. He was somewhere in Europe, hopefully watching over Gail and her team.

Cas sighed, rising from his seat. Contrary to what everyone believed, Cas did get tired. He was physically fatigued, he was mentally drained, and he was emotionally distraught. He just wanted to cuddle his wife, and make sure she was safe from harm.

He went back into the office, to collect the others. It was time to get out there again.

VIGNETTE - THE YEAR OF THE DRAGON

Linda entered her cottage, slamming the door behind her. She was furious. She'd been working Luke for ages now, and just when they were on the brink, he'd closed his mouth, tight. She'd tried flattering him, batting her eyes, and making him tea. She'd even tried the geisha routine. And now had come the final insult. He'd invited her over to his place this afternoon, asked her to make tea, and wished her a Happy New Year.

Linda had looked at him, puzzled. "What? What do you mean?"

"Isn't it your New Year?" Luke had asked her, smiling faintly. He was actually pleased with himself. He'd made an effort to find that out, too. Linda was sweet, but she'd also given him a bit of a lecture a short while back about respecting her culture. "What kind of animal is it, this year?" Luke continued.

Linda had stared at him, astonished. "Are you talking about the Chinese New Year?"

Luke nodded, somewhat impatiently. "Yes, yes. You are Oriental, are you not?"

Linda just stood there, with her mouth open. How many times did she have to tell this racist bastard that she was Korean? Should she laugh, or should she just wait until the tea was hot and then throw it in his big, fat, bigoted face?

But she did neither, of course, just gritted her teeth and sat down to tea with him, as usual. "It's the Year of the Dragon," Linda told him. She was just making that up, of course. Was that even a thing? How the hell would she know? That was just the first thing she had been able to think of.

"Really?" Luke said, interested. He finished his tea quickly and set the cup down on the table. Then he motioned her to come closer. "Maybe you can read my tea leaves, and make your predictions for the future," Luke remarked.

Linda set her cup down on her saucer a little harder than usual. Unbelievable. But she moved closer and pretended to look into his cup. Then, the strangest thing happened. In her mind's eye, she saw death and destruction happening on Earth. She saw Kevin fighting Demons alongside Gail's brother Frank, and she heard Lucifer laughing. She sat back in her chair, shocked. Were those things going on right now?

Numbly, she told Luke what she'd seen. He nodded calmly. "So, the Master has successfully started Armageddon," he remarked. "Soon, he will take over the Earth. The Angels will be unable to stop him."

Linda lost her patience. "Listen, you old fool! My son is down on Earth fighting Demons, and Lucifer is NOT going to win!"

Luke regarded her coolly. "Your son?"

"Yes! My son!" Linda shouted. "We're Angels, and we're going to kick your so-called Master's ass! We've got all the Tablets now, thanks to you!"

Luke let out a breath. He should have known. All this time, she'd been acting so fascinated with what he'd had to say. But it was his own fault, too. "Well, that may be so, but you are lacking the final item required, my dear," Luke told her. "And it sounds as if your Angels are quite busy at the moment. Much too busy to be worrying about Tablets and things. My Master will prevail, and then he will deliver me from this place to sit at his side." At least, Luke hoped that would be the case. Lucifer wasn't a very forgiving individual. But Luke might be able to sway his Master by telling him that Linda had seduced the information out of him. Everyone knew how mysterious and alluring Oriental women were. Also, Luke knew that he was the last Gospel writer left alive now, so he had that card to play. He'd felt the connection sever when Mark had been murdered. But he had to be very careful not to give up any more information to the Angels now. He knew what the item was that they needed to obtain, and he knew where it was, too. Well, in a manner of speaking.

"You need to leave, now," Luke said to Linda. "You are no longer welcome in my home."

Linda saw red. "With pleasure!" she yelled. She stood and glared at him for a moment. Then she grabbed the table and upended it, sending the teapot and the dishes flying in all directions. "And, just for your information, I don't make tea, and I don't celebrate Chinese New Year! For the millionth time, I'm Korean, you racist fossil!" She stormed towards the front door. "Good luck with Lucifer!" she shouted. "You're gonna need it!" Then she'd left his house and marched to her own.

She was still seething when she'd gotten back to her place, but now, she was afraid, too. What the hell were they supposed to do now?

VIGNETTE - THE WAY YOU MAKE ME FEEL

They were in Dusseldorf now, and things were the same as they'd been for weeks. Bobby couldn't wait for the weather to warm up. His foot hurt, and his arthritis had been acting up. He'd been irascible at the best of times in his previous existence as a human, but now, nearly everything pissed him off. He was learning to live with the constant pain, but he was sliding back into some of his old ways, and his behaviour wasn't helping his temperament.

It was funny; they were in the land that had pretty much invented beer, yet Bobby hadn't seen Sam or Dean take even one drink. They took their self-imposed responsibility to keep Gail safe very seriously. So did Bobby, but he found that he needed a little nip or three just to help him sleep. All day long, and sometimes half the night, they were knee-deep in blood, either that of Lucifer's followers or of innocent humans, if they hadn't gotten there fast enough. It wore on you after a while. Bobby had been up to the task, but he felt sore and fatigued when he was finally able to drag his ass to bed. So if he had a fifth every now and then to take the edge off, that was his own damn business. As long as he was able to answer the bell in the morning, it shouldn't matter. He'd seen the boys giving him the stink-eye a few mornings when he had showed up with his eyes bloodshot and his hands shaking. But they had said nothing. They'd better not, either, not if they knew what was good for them. As long as he was holding up his end, he could spend his free time, what little of it there was, however he saw fit.

Sam and Dean could take a lesson from Gail, Bobby thought. She was proving to be just as inscrutable as her husband. Cas would be proud if he could see her now. She fought as hard as any of the men, and she never asked for help. She'd actually saved their bacon a couple of times, using her Angel powers. Whenever they had some downtime and the men were eating, Gail would line up some bottles and cans she'd dug out of a dumpster somewhere and practice hitting them with her gold beams of light. Then, when the men would settle down for the night and try to catch a few hours' sleep, she would watch over them, either outside the motel they were staying in, or at the foot of their sleeping bags, if they were sleeping rough. A number of times, she had killed a few stragglers herself, preferring not to wake her friends unless she absolutely had to.

But Bobby wasn't as resilient as Gail seemed to be. Who would've thought it? The Winchesters were becoming strait-laced teetotalers, Gail was as much of a warrior as Castiel, and it was Bobby who was turning into an emotional wreck.

He was lying in bed with the bottle at his side, reminiscing about some of the nights he used to have with Rowena. The more Bobby drank, the lonelier he felt, and then, the more sentimental he got. Yes, she was a witch, but she wasn't nearly as black hearted as the others painted her out to be. She had a soft and warm side too, and a mischievous, playful quality, as well. Cas and the boys would never have understood, so he hadn't told them about it at the time. Then he'd had to own up to it when the spell book she'd given Bobby surfaced. He'd felt like crap about it then, mainly because Cas had raked him over the coals about it. But, who the hell had died and made Cas the boss? He certainly wasn't Bobby's boss; in fact, not too long ago, it had been the other way around. Not that Cas had ever acted like it, though. Cas did pretty much what he wanted, whenever he wanted. And now he WAS in charge, if for no other reason than by default. But he wasn't here, and he wasn't in Bobby's head. Bobby's thoughts were his own.

Bobby took a few more hits from the bottle, and suddenly, there was a light tap at his door. He got off the bed and put the bottle on the nightstand, then picked up the Demon knife and went to the door.

"Who is it?" he said gruffly.

"It's me, dearie," Rowena said.

Yeah, right. Bobby's imagination was working overtime now. Either that, or he had passed out and he was dreaming.

Rowena knocked again. Bobby pinched himself, but he didn't wake up. So he flung the door open and grabbed her, putting his knife to her throat. "Who are you, really?" he growled.

Rowena was smiling. "It's me, Bobby. Oh, my. I know it's been a while, but couldn't we at least have a drink, first?"

Bobby kicked the door to his room closed, but he continued to menace her with the knife. "If you're really Rowena, you'll be able to answer this question, then: What did you and I do that year at Mardi Gras?"

Rowena's smile grew wider. Despite the fact that he had a knife to her throat, she reached up and caressed his hand with hers. "We got drunk and made love till dawn. Then, when the parade went by under our balcony, we went out there naked and cheered at the floats, and they threw us some beads. I still have mine."

Bobby released her and spun her around. "How in the hell are you here?" he asked her, stunned.

"You invited me, Bobby," Rowena said softly. "You missed me, you thought of me, and here I am." She caressed his face with one finger. "Now, the question is, what are we going to do about it?"

Bobby grabbed her hand. "But, how did you find me? We've got warding symbols up the yin-yang."

"I can always find you, Bobby," Rowena told him. "You're the only man I ever loved." She wasn't about to divulge any of her secrets, not even to him. A woman did have to have some mystery, after all.

As soon as she said that, Bobby broke. "I'm drunk, Ro," he told her sadly. "I'm drunk, I'm tired, I'm old, and I'm sick of wallowing ankle-deep in blood."

"Of course you are, dearie," she said soothingly. She took his hands in hers. "Who wouldn't be? Come on. Let's lie down, and you can tell me all about it."

Bobby let her lead him by the hand. They drank, they talked, and they even shared a laugh or two. Then they made love. With any other man, it would merely have been sex from Rowena's viewpoint, but when it came to her Bobby, it was love. Then they talked some more and dozed for a while. And then the sun started to come up.

Bobby sat up. "You need to leave," he said to her.

"I know, my pet," Rowena said sweetly. "It wouldn't do for anyone to find me here. Castiel wouldn't approve."

Bobby bristled. "That's not the point," he barked. But that was exactly the point, and they both knew it. That was one of the things they'd talked about last night.

Rowena slid out of bed and started to get dressed. When she'd finished, she came back and leaned down to kiss him. He kissed her back, but then he pushed her away.

She was unruffled. Once he'd invited her in for the first time, she should be able to get past his silly warding symbols anytime she wanted. But, he would invite her again. She knew he would. She turned and walked towards the door.

"Oh, and you can take this with you," Bobby said. He tossed the hex bag she'd left in his knapsack at her, and she caught it neatly. Then, she smiled. Her Bobby was no fool, and he was no pushover. That was why she loved him so much. She blew him a kiss and then left the room.

Minutes later, Dean banged on Bobby's door, louder than was probably necessary. "Hang onto your shorts! I'm coming!" Bobby yelled, then he put his hand to his head. He dressed quickly, then met the brothers for breakfast.

He said nothing about Rowena's visit.

VIGNETTE - HEAVEN AND HELL

Crowley was shaking his head, watching all of the people on Earth. It seemed that humanity was splitting into two separate factions now: the believers and the non-believers. The believers were crowding the churches, praying for all of those who had been killed, and whose towns had been destroyed. But what they were really praying for was that they wouldn't be next, Crowley thought cynically.

Then there were the people who had just checked out of reality. They went about their daily lives as if nothing had changed. Crowley wished them luck with that. They were going to need it when the death squads rolled into their town.

Crowley was pretty much indifferent to the suffering and the deaths. He was at heart a selfish individual, who usually viewed events with the mindset of how they were going to affect him. In this instance, the numbers worked out just about evenly. The innocent souls that Lucifer's minions were killing were mainly ending up in Heaven. Or, the Garden, at least. Crowley smirked at that. That Garden of theirs was going to cease to be a paradise very soon. If Castiel didn't get off the pot, there would be so many souls hanging around in Heaven's way station that they would have to build a few high-rise condos soon, to shoehorn them all in. Bobby had really bolloxed that up, amongst many other things, when he'd up and quit.

But, on the other hand, most of the Demons and humans that the God Squad were dispatching were coming Crowley's way, with the occasional half dozen or so going to Purgatory. And Crowley was staying true to his word about welcoming the defectors back with open arms. Once things sorted themselves out on Earth, one way or another, Crowley was looking to rebuild Hell, and he needed lots of worker bees to do it.

The King had no idea who was going to prevail in the current conflict, but quite frankly, it didn't look good for his Brother's little band of ragtag warriors. Though even the lesser fighters were improving under Castiel's and Frank's respective tutelage, the numbers were definitely not on their side. It was too bad, in a way. Crowley'd almost been tempted to send Cas some reinforcements, just so that he could get his minions back quicker.

He'd found it very interesting to witness Paul's rescue of Gail. So, that was where that particular individual had gone to. Crowley wondered how long Paul had been trying to get his halo out of hock. Lucifer had no idea he was harbouring a serpent in his bosom, all irony intended. It was pretty funny, when you thought about it. Crowley didn't particularly care if Paul aspired to join Castiel's group. He'd always been a bit of a rabble-rouser in Hell, anyway. Let Castiel deal with the headaches. And deep down, Crowley was glad that Paul had saved Gail from being taken to Lucifer. That would not have gone well for her. No matter what happened in the present or in the future, or even what had transpired between them in the past, Crowley couldn't wish that on the poor girl. He was currently wearing the silk tie she'd given him for Christmas last year. In fact, he'd worn it every day since then. He liked it. Damn Gail and her damn doe eyes, and her ridiculous bloody Christmas present. He'd never gotten a present, not in his entire existence. His mother had been too busy whoring herself around town to ever think that little Fergus might be disappointed and sad not to get a birthday present. And of course, they didn't ever celebrate Christmas. They were a pagan household. Then, when Rowena had abandoned her son and that farmer had taken him, not for charity but to work as a field hand, there were no special occasions. Only hard work, and plenty of it. And whippings, abuse, and more whippings, if you dared to object. Once Fergus had finally escaped the farm and opened his small shop in the village, he'd become a lonely and bitter shell of a man, with very few redeeming qualities. Then Gail had come along that one Christmas in the incarnation of Priscilla, and she'd brightened his life for a while. But Fergus had made the same mistake he always seemed to make with her; he had assumed that she was his, when he ought to have known better. God had advised very early on in the game that she belonged to Castiel. Or, with Castiel, if one were to think of it in modern terms. Girl power, age of enlightenment, all that folderol. So, when Castiel had come along in the incarnation of John Alden, Fergus should have just let Gail go. But he hadn't been able to just bend over and take it anymore. He'd been doing that, both literally and figuratively, for his whole life. So when that Demon had offered Fergus the contract, he'd signed it eagerly. And now, here they were. The more things changed, the more they remained the same.

But the current situation was complicated. Crowley supposed he would need to step in eventually and help stabilize things. He didn't really care if Castiel survived Armageddon or not, but Crowley knew that ultimately, Lucifer could not be allowed to reign. The first thing Satan would do once he no longer had any real opposition from the Angels would be to come after Crowley.

The King sighed, pouring himself a drink. Well, at least there was a silver lining. Besides the souls he was receiving, courtesy of Castiel's group, Crowley had also noticed that the occasional Demon was starting to wander away from his or her post on Earth and coming back home to Hell, as well. Crowley had had a great idea when he had instituted the no-torture policy for returnees. Word was getting around, and some of the defectors were taking advantage. A couple of them had come back complaining about Lucifer as a boss, and a few more had advised that they had returned in order to survive. Castiel's numbers may be small, but they were all killing the crap out of the Demons that they ran across. The smart Demons escaped their vessels before that happened. Unless they were unfortunate enough to be on one of the death squads in Castiel's territory. He had the ability to arrest their escape, forcing their essences back into their vessels before they could get out and jump into another one. So far as Crowley knew, Castiel was the only one of them advanced enough in skill to be able to do that. But based on Gail's use of her golden beams, she likely wasn't too far behind. Crowley would have to keep an eye on her.

He checked his watch. Time to put on a smile and meet and greet the latest returnees.

VIGNETTE - ENTRE NOUS

It was St. Valentine's Day now, and Cas's group was in Nigeria. They had been astonished to see how poor many of the people were here. In South Africa, there had been a fair number of nice houses and well-to-do people. The vast majority of them had been white, which had gotten Cas to thinking about Paul, and racial prejudice. They would have to have that discussion at some point. Cas was sure that Paul would have some very definite opinions on the subject, he thought with a faint smile.

He used the pump to wash the blood off his hands and then went inside the small wood frame home. These were luxury accommodations for where they were now. Unfortunately, they hadn't arrived in time to save the house's occupants' lives. But they needed to stay somewhere, to rest and regroup for a bit. His team may be all Angels, but they had also been going non-stop for hours and hours now, and they had all sustained a few injuries. Nothing too damaging, but he felt they needed a breather.

Besides, it was Valentine's Day, and Cas needed to talk to his wife. She was an Angel, but she still thought like a human in a lot of ways, and she might be upset if he didn't call her today. It had been a while since they'd had a decent conversation, anyway. Every time one of them called the other, they'd been in the middle of something.

But when he slumped down into a chair and called her, she sounded overjoyed to hear from him, and his heart soared.

"I was hoping you would call today," Gail told him. "In fact, if you hadn't, I was going to try to call you in a while."

"Of course I was going to call you," Cas said lightly. "It's St. Valentine's Day, is it not?"

She sighed. "Actually, I'm amazed we both know that. They days have been very much alike lately, haven't they?"

Cas frowned. "Yes, they have," he replied. After a moment's silence, he asked her, "How are you, my darling?"

She sighed again. "As well as can be expected, I guess. Just tired. Bloody. Scared. Mad. You know, the usual."

"I feel exactly the same way," Cas said softly. "I miss you so much, Gail. My heart hurts all of the time."

Gail closed her eyes, picturing his face. His beautiful, beautiful face. But the expression that matched his voice was so sad that she made herself open her eyes, so she wouldn't have to see it any more.

"Cas, you're going to make me cry," she told him. "Don't do that to me. I can't stand it. I feel like somebody has reached into my chest, ripped my heart out, and run over it with a bus. I feel like if I just stopped breathing, it would hurt less."

Cas was crying now, silent tears running down his cheeks. He was trying not to let her hear him, but she could hear him anyway. So she let him cry for a minute. But she forced herself to stay stoic by concentrating on the blinding hatred she felt for Lucifer. So many dead people. So much blood and destruction. And for what? For what? She was planning to ask him that, right before they blasted him into oblivion. Caging was too good for him. They should put him back into a cage, all right, and then they should set the damn cage on fire.

It was almost like she and Cas were reversing roles now. Cas was sitting there weeping, and Gail was the one who was enraged. But if she didn't hold on to her anger, she was afraid she would just curl up into the fetal position and die.

"How's Frank?" she asked Cas now. "How are they doing over there?"

"Kevin said they're all right," Cas replied. "About the same as we are. But, they're hanging in there. The same as everyone here. Battered and bruised, but all right. How about Sam and Dean? And Bobby?"

Gail sighed, yet again. She was going for the World Record now; most sighs in a single conversation. But she couldn't help it. It was how she felt. "Dean complains constantly about the food. They usually just eat cold stuff out of cans. I won't let them build a fire and give away our position. Sam says very little. Bobby's grouchy all the time, and he's drinking too much. He thinks I don't know, but I do. And so do the guys, and I think they've had words about it, 'cause they're all acting really strange around each other. Just to add to the fun we're already having," she continued sarcastically. "Actually, it's kind of funny: as far as I know, neither Sam nor Dean has had a drop of booze since we got out here. We were in Germany a while back, and not even one beer between them. You could have knocked me over with a feather."

"Why would I want to do that? And how would that even work?" Cas asked her. He was familiar with the expression, but he'd been hoping to make her laugh. She did, but it was a brief laugh, without much mirth. Still, it was better than nothing.

His voice grew serious. "I would give anything to be able to pop over there and see you," Cas said to his wife. "Anything at all."

"I know, Cas," she responded. "But, there's no way. You can't leave your team. Can you imagine if something were to happen while you were away? You'd never be able to forgive yourself. Same with me, here. These guys are fully capable, as we both know, but they'd be one short, and they wouldn't have anyone to heal their wounds. The other day, some biker guy got a hold of a bayonet and he attacked Sam with it. I killed the guy, but not before he'd ripped a hole in Sam's side with the stupid thing. Sam might have bled out if I hadn't been there."

Cas let out a breath. My God. The mental pictures he had in his head from what she was saying were truly horrifying. How could he do this to his family and friends? But, what was the alternative? To just give up, and let Lucifer win?

"Cas! Are you still there?" Gail said anxiously.

"Yes, I'm here, my love. I was just daydreaming," he replied.

"About what?" she asked him.

"About kissing you," he lied smoothly.

"Those are my favourite kind of daydreams," she said, smiling. And it was true. Whenever she and her squad had a bit of downtime and the men were having something to eat, or sleeping, Gail would frequently find someplace relatively comfortable to sit. While she was watching out for the death squads, she would picture Cas in her mind. He would show up and tell her that it was all over, Lucifer had given up, and they could go back home. Then, he would wink her back to their house and they would talk, and laugh, and cry. They would spend hours just looking at each other, touching each other just to make sure that they were real. Then they would begin to cuddle and kiss, and eventually, Cas would begin to take off her clothes. But he would do it very slowly, and she wouldn't object, because they had all the time in the world now. She would hold his head as he kissed her bare skin, paying attention to every curve of her body. She would tell him she loved him, and he would smile and say that he loved her so much that he thought he might explode if she didn't kiss him, right now. She would laugh and say she certainly didn't want that to happen, and then her tongue would be in his mouth. He would be inside her then, wanting her to be kissing him as he made love to her. She would be wrapped around him, clinging to him, and then he'd feel as if he was going to explode anyway, out of love for her. No one could ever love anyone as much as Cas loved Gail. He would fight for her, he would die for her. He would do anything she asked him to do. Anything. They were never leaving this house again. A few minutes later, he would be crying, and Gail would wipe his tears. Maybe she would kiss them away. Then she would climb on top of him, telling him that she would much rather laugh than cry. She would position herself over his mouth and then take him in hers, and they would move together until they were both crying out with pure joy. Then she would lay beside him and he would cradle her in his arms, kissing her, telling her they were never going to be apart, ever again.

Now Gail was crying, and Cas was alarmed. "I'm sorry, my love," he said softly. "I didn't mean to make you cry. I was just trying to be romantic."

"There's nothing even the slightest bit romantic about this," she wailed. "I'm so sick of the dead bodies, and the blood, and the violence. I'm sick of Sam and Dean and Bobby bickering with each other. I worry about everybody, all the time. I'm becoming someone I don't even recognize, Cas. You probably won't even love me when we finally see each other next, because I feel like I'll never be able to wash the blood off of me!"

His heart was breaking. Cas knew what that felt like. A part of him felt the same way about his role in the Angel Wars. Not now, though. Right now, they were all doing God's work, trying to protect the human race from Lucifer. But, it was bound to take a toll on some of them. Gail was unused to such violence. She was too pure to have to don the mantle of a killer. What had he done to her?

"You will be yourself again once this is all over," Cas insisted. "I'll see to it. And as far as not loving you, that would be impossible. There is nothing you could ever say or do to make me stop loving you. I will wash the blood from you myself. There is nothing wrong with the way you're feeling now, Gail. It's when you stop feeling that there is a problem. Believe me, I know. I came close, a few times. That is why I allow myself to cry. Because doing so shows me that I can still feel. That all hope is not yet lost."

But Gail said nothing, because she was already starting to give up hope. Lucifer's men just kept coming, and for every one they killed, it seemed like there were two or three more to take his place. They had been successful in saving some humans, but many more had died. Some towns remained relatively unscathed, while others were trashed and burned. There didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it. Of course, this was Lucifer they were talking about. He had never been a very logical, rational being. And Gail knew that there was much more going on than just murder. Women were being raped and violated in record numbers, and probably some men too, though the latter group would be more reticent about it. So even if by some miracle they were able to defeat Lucifer, those poor people would have to live with that trauma for the rest of their lives.

Cas should really sign off and check on his group, but he couldn't leave Gail like this. She was being too quiet now, and that was never a good sign. He was desperate to cheer her. Then he remembered. Of course.

"I almost forgot: I have a funny story for you," he said to her. "The other day, we were walking through a town that was dusty and dry, and it was hot, too. You would have hated it. We spoke to some townspeople and they said they'd been in the middle of one of the worst droughts they'd ever experienced. So I sat down and concentrated, and I made it rain for them. But I guess I got a little carried away, just as I did back in Noah's time. Do you remember that story?"

She certainly did. She and the guys had had a great laugh when they'd found out that Castiel was the one who had inadvertently caused the flood.

Cas continued, "Anyway, after a time, the rain turned to snow, and the villagers were amazed. They'd never seen anything like it. Those who had cell phones were taking pictures, and some of the children came running out of their homes carrying area rugs, to go sledding on. Some others started to build snow-" Suddenly, Cas choked back a sob. He'd intended his tale to be light-hearted, but he realized now that all it was doing was serving to remind them of the wonderful Christmas they'd all had together, and how terrible things were now.

Gail's shoulders slumped. It was a good thing she was an Angel, or she believed she would literally be dead from heartbreak by now. He'd been trying to raise her spirits, but now he was crying again. And the worst was yet to come.

"I'm sorry, my darling," Cas said in a thick voice. "I didn't mean to...oh, I don't know what I meant to do, Gail. I just wanted to make you smile, if only for a moment. The townspeople were all smiling, saying it was the most miraculous thing they'd ever seen. They have so little, yet just a simple thing like a snowfall made them so happy."

Gail nodded. Cas had just given her the wake-up call. "Thank you, sweetie," she said to him. "That was the lesson I needed."

"What do you mean?" he asked her, puzzled.

"Your story," she told him. "You just gave me my Valentine, Cas. You reminded me why we're out here, doing this. It's for people like them. They deserve to live in a world where a snowfall is the lead story on the news." She smiled wryly. "You know, when you first called me, I was so mad. I wanted so badly to be with my husband on Valentine's Day. How was it fair that we should have to be apart today? How was any of this fair to us? But you just reminded me of the most important point: it's not supposed to be fair to us, because it's not ABOUT us! It's about all those poor humans who woke up this morning looking forward to their day, only to step outside and see Lucifer's death squads coming down the street. How fair is THAT? So thank you, Cas. You just gave me the boost I needed. I love you so much."

Cas didn't know what to say. She had taken his blunder and turned it around, turned it into something positive. She was essentially thanking him for making her feel awful. He stammered out his love for her.

"We have to believe there's a purpose behind all of this," Cas said to his wife. "It's just too big for us to see it right now."

Gail made a face, glad that Cas couldn't see her. His faith was remarkable. Too bad she couldn't share it. But she wasn't going to start that again.

"I'd better get going," Gail said to him. "We need to move on to the next town."

"As do we," Cas said sadly. Still, he was reluctant to break their connection. "Are you going to be all right, Gail?"

No, she wasn't. No way. Not even close. "I'll be all right, Cas," she told him. What else could she say? He had enough responsibilities right now, and so did she.

They said their "I Love You's", and went looking for their teams.

VIGNETTE - LOSING IT

Patricia had read and re-read both the ancient and modern lawbooks, and she'd reviewed the transcript of Castiel's tribunal so many times that she practically had it committed to memory.

How could she have allowed herself to have been so badly misled? All throughout that time, she had thought that Castiel and Gail were the victims, and Xavier was the bad guy. But now, Patricia had come to realize that she'd been wrong. Xavier had had ulterior motives, of course, but ultimately, he had only been trying to do what was right, and what was best for Heaven. But Castiel and Gail had played their roles well. Castiel had been the martyr, the hallowed Angel who was being persecuted because he'd had the temerity to fall in love. And, little Gail, with her doe eyes and her wounded expression. How could those mean, dried-up old board members possibly understand the way that she and Castiel felt about each other? By the end of the tribunal, the court of public opinion had been firmly on the couple's side. And even though the verdict went the correct way, Castiel had managed to supersede justice by having the King of Hell revive him.

The King of Hell! What was wrong with this picture? Why was no one else in Heaven alarmed by the fact that Crowley was the one who had brought Castiel back to life? Why should he have done that? There would be no earthly reason for Crowley to have wanted Castiel to live. So, the only logical explanation was that either Castiel, or Gail, or both, had entered into some kind of unholy arrangement with the King of Hell. Rumour had it that Gail had spent some time alone with Crowley during the drafting of Heaven's new laws. Had she been feeding him inside information, perhaps as a payoff for her husband's revival?

And as for the new laws themselves, as far as Patricia was concerned, they were far too permissive. She had to admit to herself that she'd been remiss in not raising more of an objection at the time. But she'd been swept away by the notion of a more modern, progressive Heaven, and by the fact that Bobby had allowed women to be on the board, for the first time in history. Gail was even the Chairwoman, or as she supposed they would call it these days, the Chairperson. So Patricia had gone along with a few things that ran contrary to her beliefs because she'd thought the greater good was being served. But the only thing that the enactment of the new laws had brought to Heaven was Sin, and then Bobby had resigned his post. They had kept it quiet for the longest time, but the fact of the matter was, Heaven had no God. By now, it was common knowledge, and Heaven was descending into anarchy. Angels slacking off, necking in the hallways, and being seen entering their houses or apartments with other Angels, and not coming out for hours. Patricia knew what they were doing in there. Heaven was falling apart without a real leader, a God who would bring back a sense of order, and duty. Free Will only led to laziness and Sin, and total chaos would surely follow. She could see the signs already.

Patricia was battling some mixed emotions now. Chuck had been here just a short while ago, and he had told both herself and Laurel that Castiel was in charge of the groups of Angels and humans who were defending the human race against Lucifer and his acolytes. They'd been battling for nearly three months now, and they were holding their own, but they seemed to be in a holding pattern, only. No one knew how long the current situation was going to go on.

Patricia had been thoughtful. She very much wanted them to defeat Lucifer, of course. She still walked around every corner of Heaven, expecting to see him standing there. She still looked up in fear every time anyone stood in the doorway of her office. And she still harmed herself. Every time the fear got to be too much, Patricia would lock the door and take whatever sharp implement was at hand to herself. But she made sure to only cut the skin that her clothing would hide. She had to take great pains not to appear insane.

If Castiel and Gail were to be killed while fighting Lucifer's army, Patricia would make sure they received a proper state funeral in Heaven. In many ways, that would be the best case scenario for everyone concerned. But Patricia needed to make sure that Lucifer was dealt with, and like it or not, those two represented the best chance to make that happen. So, she found herself in the peculiar position of wanting to help them. But, how?

Of course, if they succeeded, they would be coming back up to Heaven, looking to take over, she was sure. But there was no way Patricia could allow that to happen. Luckily, the modern laws that Gail had proposed, and that Bobby had approved, made provisions for an election to be held for the High Office. As many as six nominees were allowed to run for the Office at one time, and every Angel could vote for whomever they wished. If Castiel and Gail thought they were just going to waltz in and take over, they were in for a surprise.

Patricia bent to her desk, continuing to make notes. The transcript of the tribunal proceeding was proving to be very instructive, now that she was able to see the couple for who and what they truly were. Patricia had observed them behaving disgracefully herself, both in Heaven and on Earth. If she needed to, she could use all of this information to discredit them, or at the very least, to diminish their reputations.

And if this wasn't enough to do it, Patricia had some other ideas. She was prepared to do anything it took to save Heaven from them. Whatever it took.

VIGNETTE - TOGETHER ALONE

It was Easter Sunday, and Ethan was cleaning the guns. And if that wasn't one hell of a pathetic thing to be doing on one of the holiest days of the year, Ethan didn't know what was.

Riley and Becky were helping him. Both of them were getting better with practice, but it was still very strange for Ethan to see any one of those two with a gun in their hands. Ethan was glad he had taken the time to show both Angels how to shoot, though. Becky tried her best, but she would never be a very good fighter. This way, she could do her part by shooting at their enemies. Her aim was getting better now too, thanks to the daily target practice sessions. Riley took target practice too, but he mainly stuck close to Castiel and emulated his mentor, generally sticking with hand-to-hand combat. Their team had become a highly efficient killing machine now. Yet the enemies kept on coming, and the humans kept on dying.

Ethan thought about Karen and George, waiting around in the Garden. In a strange way, Lucifer had ended up doing Ethan a favour by killing his wife and child. At least Ethan didn't have to worry about Lucifer's death squads getting a hold of them. There had been reports on the news suggesting that mere murder wasn't enough for many of Lucifer's followers. Rape and torture were apparently also part of their repertoire.

Castiel had gotten up a few minutes ago and left the room, saying he would return soon. That meant he was either calling Gail or praying. When he wasn't killing Lucifer's minions or training the young Angels, that's what Castiel would be doing.

He HAD called Gail, but she had cut him short, telling him that a death squad was just pulling into town, so she couldn't talk. She would return his call as soon as she could. Cas's heart sank, and his stomach rolled. Every time he thought about her out there, doing the things that she had to do, it made him feel sick.

So Castiel prayed, instead. When would this madness end? When would they be delivered? "If there is something I'm supposed to be doing, Father, please just tell me what it is," Cas pleaded. "Is this another purge? Do you mean for all those people to die? I need some guidance, Father. Please."

He received no reply. But, what did he expect? This was the same God who'd been at the helm for Sodom and Gomorrah, Hitler's Third Reich, and the collapse of the Twin Towers.

Castiel looked up at the sky, entranced, as a shooting star streaked from one end of town to the other. Hmmm. If that had been a sign from God, it had been decidedly unclear. He sighed, then went inside to join his team.

It had taken Gabriel a while to find them all, but he'd finally been able to check up on all the members of the God Squad.

He'd bailed on them at the bunker and look at the mess they were in now. Gabriel had claimed to be a coward, and he'd said that was why he was leaving. But he hadn't actually left. He had other irons in the fire, and he'd thought they had this whole Lucifer thing under control. But now things had gone to hell in a handcart, and even Gabriel and his considerable powers couldn't put Humpty back together again.

Still, he felt bad about bailing on his Brother like that, especially since Castiel had sprung him from the clutches of those military asshats. So at the moment, Gabriel was multi-tasking. He was watching over Gail's and Frank's teams, prepared to intervene if he saw any real trouble. He'd peeked in on Castiel's squad too, but his Brother had the kids well in hand.

Lucifer was the world's biggest toddler throwing the world's longest hissy fit, but there was a much worse threat looming on the horizon, in Gabriel's opinion. Just as the side of Good had had the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit back in the day, the side of Evil had their trinity, as well. Raguel was the nasty Archangel who had beaten the tar out of Gabriel and plunked him down into Area 51. Then there was Ammit, the Demon Goddess who was in charge of the Lake of Fire. Now, that was a really hot chick. Gabriel had never had the dubious pleasure, but her reputation had preceded her. She could take on a very pleasing human form, seduce you with it, and then scoop out your organs with her melonballer claws and eat them. Yikes. And then, there was the third player. That guy was reportedly the worst one of all. Problem was, no one seemed to know anything about him, not even his name. All three of these individuals were after the Books. The Book of Life and its companion, the Book of the Dead. And if any one of those three got a hold of the Books, all of them were done. Humans, Angels, Demons, all of them. Everything. Lucifer could send his army running around the Earth killing people, but that was just the drop in the proverbial bucket. Armageddon, indeed. None of them had any clue what was lurking out there. Whoever held the Books held sway over Life and Death, simple as that. They would be able to obliterate entire civilizations with just a snap of their fingers, or planets, or even realms. They would be able to go back in time and alter any event in history or bring back to life anyone they chose. Depending on the agenda of whomever held the Books, the results could be cataclysmic. And the endgames of any one of those three individuals would not include the survival of Gabriel himself, nor any of the Angels, he was certain.

And there was another thing that was bothering Gabriel, too. Ever since he'd been sprung from Area 51, he hadn't quite felt like himself. He'd just been so happy to be out of there that he hadn't really stopped to think about it. But now, Gabriel realized that there were some things that, as an Archangel, he should be able to do, but he just couldn't get it up for them. He should be able to send out the Eye and locate Lucifer, putting an end to this whole farce. But he couldn't find the son of a bitch, nor could he see the man who made up the third prong of the unholy trinity. Plus, it had taken him way longer than it should to find Castiel and Gail. Yes, they had their warding tattoos, but Gabriel had always been able to see past those, if he really concentrated. Just as their Father had blessed all of His Originals with certain powers, so had He endowed His Archangels with even greater powers. But Gabriel felt depleted, somehow. Diminished. Was God punishing him for having deserted Castiel and his people? But then, who the hell was supposed to deal with Raguel, Ammit, and the man behind Door Number Three? His Father may be able to be everywhere at once, but that was one special little talent that He had not gifted Gabriel with.

The Archangel sighed. "Your Will. Happy Easter, Dad." Then he winked himself away.

Adrian was making the rounds, just killing time. Now that they had lost both the Tablet and their subject, there was no project to work on, any more. Now, he was just marking time here until his retirement. There would be no legacy for him, nothing to distinguish him from any of the men who had gone before.

But when he walked into the lab, there was frenetic activity going on there. General Tanaka was talking to Dr. Exeter, the head of the Experimental Science department.

"What's going on here?" Adrian asked the men.

General Tanaka looked at him with a cool expression. He was still upset with Adrian for having capitulated to the intruders so easily. But, there was still the chain of command to honour. "In deference to the fact that you're the ranking Officer, I'll tell you. But just so you know, if these experiments bear fruit, I expect you to sign off on a substantial bonus for me."

General Greene was puzzled. "Experiments? What experiments?"

Dr. Exeter smiled. "The ones we were working on before the subject escaped," he said.

"But...he took the substance," Adrian protested.

"He took one vial of it," Tanaka said proudly, gesturing towards the worktable in the middle of the room. "But luckily, my mother enrolled me in a very useful organization when we first arrived in America. The group was the Boy Scouts, and their motto was 'Always Be Prepared'. Sizemore only took one tube from the subject." Now, the white-coated lab assistants moved away from the table enough for Adrian to see the test tubes lined up in the middle of it. "But I took ten," General Tanaka finished, smiling.

Adrian's jaw dropped. Then, he began to smile, too.

\- END OF BOOK 23 -


End file.
